Watch the iconic Daniil Medvedev speech praised by PM Narendra Modi in 'Mann ki Baat'

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Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev's speech after losing US Open 2019 final to Rafael Nadal gained a lot of praise by fans worldwide. Now the latest addition to the list is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Sunday morning, during the monthly radio programme 'Mann ki Baat', PM Modi referred to Medvedev's iconic speech to motivate the listeners and explain to them the importance of sportsman spirit after defeat.

On September 8, 2019, Rafael Nadal beat Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, in the hard-fought men's singles final to claim his 19th grand slam. During the trophy presenting ceremony, Medvedev gave a speech full of humour and modesty which showed his excellent character and sportsmanship in front of a packed crowd at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. 

"To be honest in my mind, I was already thinking what do I say in the speech, it's going to be in 20 minutes. I was like I have to fight for every ball, and it went further but it didn't go my way. I know earlier in the tournament I said a bad thing, and now it's a good thing. It's because of your energy that I'm here in the final. I mean, tonight is going to always be in my mind because I played in the biggest court in the tennis world,” Medvedev said in his speech.

"You guys were pushing me to prolong this match because you want to see more tennis. Because of you guys, I was fighting like hell. It's electric. You were booing me for a reason. I can also change because I am a human being and I can make mistakes. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart," he concluded.

PM Modi looked pretty impressed with Medvedev's humility and modesty after facing a heartbreak defeat in a grand slam final against such a huge crowd. The Indian PM praised his courageous attitude and told everyone to learn from the Russian tennis star.

“This time in US Open, there were equal talks about the winner (Nadal) and runners-up (Medvedev). Medvedev's speech went viral on social media so I watched both his speech and the match. The 23-year-old Medvedev left everyone impressed with his simplicity and maturity. Just before the speech, Medvedev had lost to 19-time Grand Slam winner and a legend of tennis Rafael Nadal in the final. Anyone in Medvedev's place would have been sad about the defeat but Medvedev kept smiling and brought a smile to everyone's face with his speech,” said PM Modi on Mann Ki Baat.

“His simplicity, down to earth attitude and sportsman spirit left everyone awestruck. His speech was lauded by everyone present in the stadium. Although champion Nadal also praised Daniil for giving him a tough fight. The match taught everyone a lot and if anyone hasn't heard Daniil Medvedev's speech then I specially request you to watch the video. Every age group has a lot to learn from that speech,” he added.