The ITF's Katrina Adams stays on the front lines for women with the Tory Burch Foundation Sports Fellowship

It was a special tournament beyond the end result. For the 2021 US Open champion was playing his first event since becoming a father after wife Daria gave birth to a baby girl on October 14.

Medvedev rallied past Denis Shapovalov, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, to clinch his 15th tour-level trophy. With a growing family on the brain, the 26-year-old had ideas of what he hoped to express during the trophy ceremony. It didn’t quite go to plan.

“I’m usually good in speeches, which is because I actually say what I think,” Medvedev told Prakash Amritraj Tuesday on Tennis Channel.

“In my mind, I had so many beautiful words, so many beautiful lines that I really think. And I got tight.

“I still said things I wanted to say, but much shorter and less beautiful than I had them in my mind. So I was really disappointed about this... I’m forever grateful for the baby girl we have. I’m just really happy about it.”

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Prior to overcoming Shapovalov in the Vienna final, Medvedev took down Dominic Thiem, Jannik Sinner and Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets.

The world No. 3 also further explained the then-bizarre ending to his Astana semifinal with Novak Djokovic, a match that took place just six days prior to the arrival of his daughter. After dropping an intense second-set tiebreaker, Medvedev abruptly retired from the contest.

“I pulled my muscle and I could feel it straightaway towards the second point of the tiebreak. For five seconds, I thought, “Am I cramping?’ After the point, I was like, ‘No, that’s a strain for sure.’” Medvedev shared.

“That was the first time in my life I felt like this on one exact movement. This one, I felt if I continue the match, I could tear the muscle and you’re out for three months or something.”

At the time, Medvedev hadn’t secured his ticket to Turin. He has now.

With the combination of his Vienna effort, last week’s results and the Paris Masters draw, Medvedev is set to compete at his fourth successive ATP Finals later this month. Before heading to Italy, the Moscow native opens his Paris campaign against Alex de Minaur on Wednesday. Medvedev won this 1000-level event in 2020 over Alexander Zverev and finished runner-up to Djokovic last year.

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