They may fly the friendly skies together, but Daniil Medvedev says he and Stefanos Tsitsipas "are definitely not friends."
After dismissing Dominic Thiem, 6-3, 6-1, to roar into his eighth semifinal of the season in Montreal today, Medvedev was asked about his fiery relationship with former feuding partner Tsitsipas.
More: Medvedev Torches Thiem
The 23-year-old Russian made it clear they won't be sharing the doubles court any time soon.
"We don't have a relationship, if I can answer like this," Medvedev said. "I'm not talking about... I mean, tough to say. As I always said, I'm not enemies with him, but we're definitely not friends."
The friction between the pair dates back to the 2018 Miami Open.
Medvedev beat back Tsitsipas, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, then things almost turned physical following the post-match handshake.
Angered by Tsitsipas' behavior during the match, which included taking a bathroom break at one point, Medvedev said it's better for the Greek teen "to shut the f--k up, okay"
The chair umpire eventually intervened between the pair as Medvedev railed "Hey Stefanos, you want to look at me and talk?...
"Hey look at me. He started it. He said 'bullshit Russian' you think this is normal. He is a small kid that doesn't know how to fight."
Still, the pair and Washington, D.C. champion Nick Kyrgios all shared a NetJets flight from Washington, D.C. to Montreal.
Medvedev pushed Kyrgios to two tie break sets in the Citi Open final and joked today he's flattered by the Aussie's respectful references to him.
"But I'm happy he talks about me because when a player says something, it's always a good thing for you," Medvedev said of Kyrgios. "It means he respects you as a player, as an opponent.
"He sees I'm in very good shape right now, that it's not easy to beat me. This is what it means, I believe. Of course, it's good."
Photo credit: Christopher Levy