Tennis players Emma Raducanu and Daniil Medevdev have been on different paths since receiving encouraging words from Novak Djokovic.
Just 103 weeks ago, three-time US Open champion Djokovic took to social media to praise the achievements of Raducanu and Medvedev.
At the time, Raducanu was competing in just her second major tournament after advancing to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon she would go on to win a remarkable maiden title at WTA level, beating Leylah Fernandez to seal a stunning US Open triumph.
Just 24 hours later, Medvedev was in the process of winning his first Grand Slam title as well having lost his two previous major finals, and Djokovic - who did not compete that year due to his vaccination status - was full of praise for their feats.
"Congratulations to both champions," wrote Djokovic on Instagram. "Amazing fairytale story on woman's side with two teenagers competing in the finals. Emma, you are fantastic [hand-clapping emojis]. Daniil, you absolutely deserve your first Grand Slam title."
While the encouraging words were a positive indicator of the trajectory of their young careers, both competitors have experienced different outcomes since. Raducanu has faced injuries that have kept her off the court, while Medvedev has played to high standards.
The 20-year-old British star has not competed since her defeat by Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart last April. Injuries have affected Raducanu, with the 2023 US Open happening in her absence.
She announced that she would miss the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open due to recent surgeries on both her wrists and ankle. The 20-year-old British tennis star underwent three procedures to address the issues.
Emma Raducanu's last appearance against Jelena OstapenkoRaducanu has also faced challenges due to frequent coaching changes. After her US Open win, she parted ways with Andrew Richardson and worked with three other coaches, including Torben Beltz and Sebastian Sachs. These partnerships all lasted only a short time.
However, Medvedev was lucky to stay in good health and keep competing. He made it to the final of the 2022 Australian Open against Rafael Nadal and reached the semifinals of this year's Wimbledon. While he is yet to add a second major to his CV, he has been a regular in the latter stages of tournaments, including two Masters 1000 titles this year in Miami and Rome.
He kicked off the season at the Adelaide International, where he reached the semifinals but was defeated by Djokovic. His performance at the Australian Open saw him advance to the third round but ultimately fall to Sebastian Korda, resulting in his exit from the Top 10 rankings.
Daniil Medvedev in action at the US OpenFebruary marked a turnaround for Medvedev, as he secured victories at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam and the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, defeating formidable opponents like Jannik Sinner and Andy Murray. March brought continued success, with Medvedev clinching the Dubai title after beating Andrey Rublev and Novak Djokovic, propelling him back to the world No. 6 ranking.
During the Indian Wells Masters, he reached the final but fell short against Carlos Alcaraz, though he managed to reenter the Top 5. Medvedev's successes continued in Miami, where he secured his 19th title by defeating Jannik Sinner, climbing to world No. 4 in the rankings. Two months later he captured just his second clay court title with a victory over Holger Rune to win the Italian Open.
As things stand today, Raducanu is the No. 185 ranked women's competitor according to the WTA Rankings, while Medvedev is ranked No. 3 in ATP rankings. While Medvedev is in position to win the US Open, having reached the semi-final, Raducanu will look to plot her return and get back to her winning form.
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