WATCH: Medvedev laughs at himself as he praises van Rijthoven for performance in the final

Daniil Medvedev made a light-hearted appreciation of Tim van Rijthoven's performance in the 2022 Libema Open final.

Medvedev wanted to win in Den Bosch as he is chasing his first ATP title of the season. It's a year full of heartbreaks for the Russian who squandered the Australian Open from a winning position in January and then missed almost the entire clay-court swing because hernia operation.

However, he faced a player who simply wanted it more and was cheered by an expectant crowd. Reaching the final was already a massive achievement for the Dutch wild card.

Van Rjthoven ranked outside the Top 200 when this ATP 250 grass-court tour began and who plays on the Challengers, had never won a main draw match at the Tour level.

But he put together a jaw-dropping run during the week, winning over established ATP stars like Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the championship match.

Despite his knack for defying the odds, he was not favored to do so against the tried and tested Medvedev, who is usually so reliable. But 2022 has shown that the World No. 2 remains prone to lapses of concentration.

Van Rijthoven played the match of his life and was not to be denied as he outclassed Medvedev with a sensational performance of grass-court tennis. He won 6-4, 6-1 in a scoreline that was never in the script.

Medvedev was gracious in defeat and acknowledged the Dutchman's seismic achievement during his runner-up speech.

Medvedev will now head to Halle to compete at the ATP 500 event, while Van Rijthoven will be basking in glory. He will be hoping to receive a main draw wild card at Wimbledon.

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