Who are Daniil Medvedev's parents? They had to hide son's tennis talent from school
Daniil Medvedev is currently reigning the ATP Tour as one of the top players, but his flourishing success isn't the fruit of his labor alone. Toiling behind Medvedev his entire life have been his parents who went from hiding his tennis forte from his school to selling their own apartment just to give Medvedev the support he needed to become the tennis pro he is today. His mother Olga admits they still haven't been able to believe their son's incredible worldwide fame. But his fame is very much a result of what Olga and Sergey Medvedev sacrificed, starting from the point where they went above and beyond to get their son a European citizenship.
Medvedev, who is is about to face Serbian Tennis star Novak Djokovic in the US Open on September 12, was born to Olga and Sergey Medvedev in Moscow, Russia, on February 11, 1996. The tennis pro also met his wife Daria Medvedev through the sport, but unfortunately, Daria could not pursue a professional career in the game due to multiple injuries very early on. But while she is a definite attendee at all of Medvedev's games, it's the athlete's parents who were the biggest push behind establishing him as one of the most recognized tennis players.
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Who are Daniil Medvedev's parents?
Medvedev's parents' efforts to secure his future reportedly began when Olga was pregnant with him and they decided to relocate to France so the future tennis prodigy could have European citizenship. However, that didn't pan out as Medvedev was born earlier than planned and the family had to stay back in Moscow due to restrictions. As Medvedev grew older, his father pushed him to pursue tennis but made him switch sports by later pushing him towards becoming a professional swimmer. It was at the pool that he came across a tennis coaching poster and that sealed the fate of what Medvedev's future profession would be.
But the struggle to give Medvedev proper coaching continued. In an interview with Sport-Express, his mother Olga commented on Medvedev's childhood, saying "It was difficult because everything happened quickly." She continued: "You had to stay with him. He studied at the high-school math, he did well. He was also playing other sports like swimming in order to stay fit. We also went to music, art, drawing. At the same time, he started speaking English and French."
Sacrifices Olga and Sergey Medvedev made
Olga also revealed why Medvedev's tennis classes and tournaments had to be kept under wraps. "At school, we did not say he was in sports because that was a serious school. If he had to travel to play a tournament, we were going to the doctor in order to get a medical certificate," Olga explained, adding: "We had to organize all those things. So while he was at school or training, I had to cook something and make thousands of calls in many different places, getting visas, book a hotel and buy tickets."
Back in the day, sponsorship wasn't as easy to come across. And in Medvefdebv's case, there was none, leaving his father fending for his tennis coaching. "It was a crazy life but a very interesting one. His father was earning money for all this. There were no sponsors — only father," Olga told the outlet, further adding: "And then in the end I had to sell an apartment to continue." At the moment, Medvedev is No 4 in the world. Sharing how overwhelming it all is, Olga told the outlet: "We have still not realized that our son is not just our son but a famous person and a hero."