Tennis great Novak Djokovic’s wife Jelena has reacted to Daniil Medvedev’s hilarious take on his Thai opponent Kasidit Samrej’s future after eking out a narrow 5-set victory in the first round.

The little-known Samrej, ranked 418 in the world, stretched the three-time former finalist to the limit. Medvedev won the first set with relative ease, but the 23-year-old Samrej struck back, taking the next two sets. Despite clean striking and power off both wings from Samrej, Medvedev dug in for the last two sets, taking them 6-1 and 6-2.

Medvedev, in his post-match interview, admitted that he was surprised by the level that his Thai opponent produced during the match.

“If he plays like this every match, his life can be good, money, girls casinos,” the straight-talking Medvedev said, drawing loud guffaws from the crowd. “If doesn’t, then he is not gonna have it,” Medvedev concluded.

The Australian Open posted a clip of Medvedev’s hilarious take on its official Instagram page. Jelena Djokovic, who has over 820,000 followers on the platform, reacted with a “laugh” emoji.

Other commenters also noted Daniil Medvedev’s pun, with several pointing out that the Russian has the best post-match interviews in tennis.

“Not only does he cover the whole court – he’s got the interviews covered too,” noted one commenter.

In the next round, Daniil Medvedev will lock horns with 19-year-old American Learner Tien. Born to Vietnamese-origin parents, Tien is a former junior finalist in Melbourne.

Daniil Medvedev admits to feeling “new energy” in Melbourne

After getting the better of Samrej in the first round, Daniil Medvedev asserted that he is feeling a “new energy” in 2025, and hoped it would translate to success throughout the season.

A one-time (2021) US Open champion, who recently became a father for the second time, said he arrived in Melbourne later than usual to spend more time with his expanding family.

Daniil Medvedev said, “I have two kids now. I want to stay at home for the New Year and Christmas, even if I love Australia, every New Year in Australia is starting to get tough. So, I like to come here a little bit later. But, no, it only gives me good energy and today, you know, at the end of last year, I probably would have lost that (the match). “I wouldn’t be able to concentrate and fight till the end. Now, it’s a new year, new energy, at least for now. Hopefully for all the season.”

Former World No. 1 Medvedev made it to the final in Australia thrice – in 2021, 2022, and 2024.