DIRIYAH: Tennis champion Daniil Medvedev flies into Saudi Arabia next month to defend his Diriyah Tennis Cup title of 2019, which led to his most successful season ever.
The defending champion and 11 of the world’s best tennis players will compete Dec. 8-10 for the second tournament of the Diriyah Tennis Cup presented by Aramco.
Having recently become a new father, Medvedev won the inaugural Diriyah Cup in 2019 in impressive fashion, winning every match in straight sets including the final where he defeated Fabio Fognini 6-2.
“It was a great tournament, had great players and I played very good there. I then went on to have the best season of my life at that point,” he said about his first trip to the Kingdom.
“It bought me a lot of confidence for the season ahead and that’s what I’m going to try to do this season,” he added
Since his 2019 win, Medvedev secured his first major victory at the 2021 US Open where he stunned the tennis world with a straight-sets victory over Novak Djokovic in the final. The current world No. 7 also enjoyed a stint as world No. 1 earlier this year.
Most recently, he has enjoyed a personal high after becoming a father for the first time following the birth of his daughter just last month.
“I’m a really happy person in life right now. It’s only good emotions,” he said.
“The experience is amazing. Many people told me that I can only understand this when I have a baby and now I can completely understand. It’s a lot of fun. I’m so happy about it and so grateful to my wife.”
Medvedev is part of a world-class field of 12 preparing for a new season’s first major in Australia with competitive tennis heading to Diriyah for three days across singles and doubles. The likes of Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Cameron Norrie have also been announced in the field.
The 2022 edition will be the biggest line-up to ever play in Saudi Arabia, and the defending champ is encouraging Saudi fans to come and experience the energy courtside in Diriyah.
“Like every other sport, on TV it is beautiful, you can see the energy, you can see everything,” added Medvedev, “but you can feel it sitting courtside, especially with the best players in the world like at the Diriyah Tennis Cup, you can feel the amazing energy.”
Tickets are now available for fans to experience the energy firsthand. For more information and to purchase your ticket, please visit www.diriyahtenniscup.com.
Daniil Medvedev inspired to defend Diriyah Tennis Cup title
https://arab.news/5adfw
Daniil Medvedev inspired to defend Diriyah Tennis Cup title
- The world No. 7’s Diriyah Tennis Cup 2019 title led to his most successful season ever
- Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Cameron Norrie have also been announced in the field
Real Madrid victory in Super Cup semi-final sets up fourth consecutive El Clásico in Saudi Arabia
- Early Valverde rocket set the tone for a physical encounter in front of a packed Al-Inma Stadium
- 55,651 fans attended the match, topping Barcelona-Athletic Bilbao’s crowd by more than 5,000
JEDDAH: While Wednesday saw a sea of blue and red take over Al-Inma Stadium, Thursday belonged almost entirely to the colour white. The second semi-final of the 2026 Spanish Super Cup pitted Madrid Derby rivals Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid against each other in a fiercely contested encounter that ignited within the opening two minutes and ended with a 2-1 victory to Real Madrid.
In the first minute of the game, Real Madrid won a free kick from a position that appeared harmless, but Federico Valverde had other ideas. The Uruguayan unleashed a thunderous long-range strike that flew into the net, sending the stadium into raptures almost immediately.
Despite the early breakthrough, Real Madrid did not dominate proceedings. Atlético controlled much of the shot count, pushing relentlessly as they attempted to overcome the forged “home” advantage enjoyed by their city rivals in Jeddah.
That advantage was not driven solely by Saudi supporters. Ahead of kick-off, official broadcaster Thmanyah Sports got hold of a Real Madrid fan from Iraq who praised the organisation of the event and thanked Saudi Arabia for providing fans from across the region the opportunity to watch their team live.
Atlético didn’t plan on sending those fans home with a smile. They forced Thibaut Courtois into action on multiple occasions, with his save from a corner mid-way into the first half proving key in preserving Real’s lead.
Real did get close to doubling their advantage in the 27th minute when Rodrygo found himself through on goal, executing a trademark Ronaldo chop to beat his marker before being denied by Jan Oblak.
Atlético resumed their push after the break. In the 49th minute, they looked to find Julián Álvarez with a dangerous cross, but Antonio Rüdiger reacted sharply to step in and clear.
Once again, it was Real Madrid’s individual quality that made the difference. Valverde split the defence with a perfectly weighted through ball, releasing Rodrygo, who calmly slotted past Oblak in the 55th minute.
Atlético responded with increased vigour almost immediately. A slick move down the right flank culminated in a cross from Giuliano Simeone, which Alexander Sørloth powered home beyond Raúl Asencio in the 58th minute to bring the contest back to life.
As Atlético pushed for an equaliser, the Real Madrid fans rallied behind their team with chants familiar to Jeddah. Borrowing from one of Al-Ahli’s most popular anthems — one that engulfed Middle Eastern football in recent years — the crowd sang in unison: “For Real we came, from every city.”
Atlético were not fazed, as they came agonisingly close to levelling soon after. Antoine Griezmann produced a spectacular overhead kick from close range, only for Courtois to make another vital save. Moments later, Marcos Llorente broke through on the right once more, but his effort drifted wide.
Llorente continued to threaten, curling another attempt — this time from outside the box — but once again failed to find the target as Atlético searched desperately for a way back into the game.
Ultimately, Real Madrid managed to emerge unscathed, as they held on for the 2-1 victory.
Sunday will see the Al-Inma Stadium host once again, as Barcelona and Real Madrid face off in the fourth consecutive El Clásico Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia. Barcelona won the first encounter in 2023, followed by a 4-1 victory by Real in 2024, before Barcelona rallied to a 5-2 victory in the 2025 edition.
