Daniil Medvedev called Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz “in a good way, freaks,” but said staying healthy is part of the game, after beating Sho Shimabukuro of Japan 6-2, 6-1 in 52 minutes in the second round of the Almaty ATP 250 on Thursday.

“They’re much stronger than the rest of the field during the whole season, if they’re not injured, of course, which is part of the game,” Medvedev said. His comments come as Alexander Zverev is set to become world No. 1, with Sinner out for the rest of the season and Zverev having already clinched the year-end top spot.

“If you play a lot of matches against Alcaraz and Sinner, you’re probably going to lose more than you win. And that’s normal, because they’re, in a good way, freaks: They know how to do stuff that other people don’t. But the goal is, if you can win 2 out of 10, 3 out of 10, maybe 4 out of 10, maybe 5 out of 10, you try.”

“When they’re healthy, they proved throughout the whole year that they’re number 1 and 2 in the world, in whichever order. But it’s part of the game also to be healthy, and this year was not the case.”

No sign of fatigue

Medvedev arrived in Almaty tired from his semifinal run at the Shanghai Masters 1000 but showed no sign of it. The top seed hit seven aces and landed 79 percent of his first serves. He broke at the start of the match, saved three break points on his way to 4-2 and took the first set on his first set point. One break for 3-1 was enough in the second.

“Honestly, I’m taking confidence out of this, because it’s never easy to come from one tournament to another, especially from outdoor to indoor. It’s a little bit of altitude here,” he said. “I’m happy that I showed a great level, and that’s what I’m taking to the next match.”

The defending champion, who has never defended a title in his career, has now won five straight matches in Almaty. It is his 99th tour-level quarterfinal and his 10th of the season. He is sixth in the Race to Turin, 590 points clear of Alex de Minaur in 10th, the first man outside the qualifying places. He will face Terence Atmane of France in the quarterfinals.