Quote of the Day: Why Daniil Medvedev felt "like a fish on the sofa"
The top men's seed at the Miami Open endured some physical challenges during and after his defeat to reigning champion Hubert Hurkacz Thursday.
MIAMI HIGHLIGHTS: Medvedev ousted by Hurkacz
Even in defeat, one can generally count on Daniil Medvedev to bring the quote game.
Thursday was no different. The top men's seed at the Miami Open had a chance to regain the No. 1 ranking, but went down to reigning champion Hubert Hurkacz, 7-6 (7), 6-3.
Medvedev admitted to struggling with the conditions during the match, citing dizziness and an inability to catch his breath. The wear and tear then carried over to the locker room afterwards when cramps set in.
Speaking about that experience, Medvedev discussed the steps he took to address the pain, which included pushing electrolytes, taking medication recommended by a doctor and avoiding sitting further by going for a shower. The line of the day followed at the end of his explanation.
“It was good advice to stand up, because I was like sitting down, really tired, and then suddenly every muscle just went cramp, cramp, cramp, cramp,” he said.
“I was like a fish on the sofa.”
Medvedev has already established his fish-reference game, having channeled FIFA's "dead fish" celebration when he toppled Novak Djokovic in last year's US Open final for his first major title.
For now, Medvedev's defeat to Hurkacz wrapped up an uneven stretch in North America. He lost to Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of Acapulco before becoming the first player outside of Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to summit the top of the ATP rankings in more than 18 years.
Medvedev then went 1-1 in his debut tournament as world No. 1, falling to Gael Monfils in the third round of Indian Wells to relinquish the top spot back to Djokovic.
“For me was more important in a way just to win the match itself than to become a No. 1 by winning the match. I saw it more as a bonus,” Medvedev assessed.
“So I don't feel like I was tight or anything because of this.”
Medvedev will seek his first ATP title on red dirt in the coming weeks. Last year, the Moscow native lifted his first trophy away from hard courts when he triumphed at the grass event in Mallorca.
