Andrey Rublev joked that he was the ‘real father’ of Daniil Medvedev’s young daughter in a cheeky on-court interview at the World Tennis League. The Russian duo teamed up to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and Gregor Dimitrov at the exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, edging a tiebreak to secure a 7-6(5) victory.
Rublev and Medvedev have known each other since they were children and their long-standing friendship has continued into their adult life. Their bond has gone beyond the limitations of the tennis court, with Medvedev naming Rublev as the godfather of his daughter after she was born last year.
Following their victory over Tsitsipas and Dimitrov at the World Tennis League, Rublev was quizzed on his relationship with Medvedev in his on-court interview and gave a cheeky response when he was asked: “I believe you’re the godfather of Daniil’s daughter?”
The 26-year-old drew fits of laughter from Medvedev and his wife, Daria, when he replied: “I’m the real father and he’s the godfather!” Rublev quickly retracted his claim, though, as he said: “Yeah, I’m the godfather.”
Medvedev and Daria got married in 2018 and welcomed their daughter, Alisa, in October last year. A number of videos have since been posted online that have featured Rublev carrying out his godfather duties, while he was also seen attending the christening back in April.
Speaking earlier this year about why he picked Rublev as the godfather of his child, Medvedev pointed to Rublev’s devotion to his religion as a major factor in his thinking. He explained: “He’s very kind. He’s religious, so that’s important to be a godfather. It was kind of an easy decision.”
Rublev, meanwhile, previously revealed that his friendship with Medvedev stretches back to their early childhood when they first played tennis against each other. The pair have since faced off nine times at professional level, with Medvedev beating Rublev on seven occasions.
“I think it’s something already like a family because I’m the godfather of his daughter,” said Rublev. “Obviously we built our relationship because of tennis, but now it’s already bigger than tennis. We know each other, I don’t know, since we were six maybe or something.
“We have a great relationship. He’s super honest, super relaxed. It’s super easy to communicate with him. Very humble. At the same time he’s really, really funny. Then when you spend time with him, you always have fun.”
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