“What Daniel did is on the same level as heroism”: how Russia reacted to Medvedev's exit to the US Open final

The 23-year-old Russian Daniil Medvedev reached the finals of the US Open tennis championship was a landmark event for all of Russian sport. For the fifth racket of the world, in a meeting with Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, the whole country was ill without exaggeration.

So, the captain of the Russian national football team Artyom Dziuba congratulated the US Open finalist. Forward “Zenith” published a series of stories in his Instagram, where right during the broadcast of the tennis meeting he commented on the actions of his compatriot.

“Just beautiful! Well done! I watched all his matches. Bravo! Very confident. I love tennis: if not Federer, then Medvedev. With Nadal there will be an interesting hack. We’ll see how it will be, but for now I feel a sense of pride, ”Dzyuba told subscribers.

Another active user of social networks did not stand aside - the former first racket of the world Evgeny Kafelnikov.

14 years later, we will again see the Russian tennis player who will play in the final of the BS tournament. Congratulations to you, Daniel👏👏👍👊🇷🇺

“14 years later, we will again see a Russian tennis player who will play in the final of the Grand Slam tournament. Congratulations to you, Daniel, ”wrote Kafelnikov on his Twitter.

“It will be hard for Daniel”

While social networks were full of enthusiastic reviews and congratulations to Medvedev, representatives of the Russian tennis elite scrupulously analyzed the past Muscovite games and gave their forecast for the final match with Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

So, the president of the Russian Tennis Federation Shamil Tarpishchev noted that the semi-final was successful for the domestic athlete.

“The first set, which Medvedev eventually managed to finish in his favor, turned out to be decisive in this match. There were questions whether he could psychologically cope with the semifinals. Smog. His head worked just brilliantly. A real grandmaster victory. It is important that it was obtained in three sets, and this will provide Daniel an easy recovery before the final, ”Tarpishcheva quotes TASS.

At the same time, according to Tarpishchev, counting on a similar scenario in the final is not worth it.

“It will be hard for Daniel to play. Nadal is motorized, and Medvedev is far behind the back line. From this point of view, Nadal plays like table tennis, but Medvedev cannot play like that, because he is far away. These five meters, at a distance which our tennis player stands, will give Rafael time to prepare. From this perspective, Medvedev's importance of filing is of particular value. Firstly, Daniel should be served correctly, and secondly, try to play more behind the back line. Then he has a chance, ”said the head of the FRT.

At the same time, Tarpishchev expressed confidence that, regardless of the outcome of the final, Medvedev has already entered his name in the history of world tennis.

“He may well become the best Russian tennis player in history. He has the strength and title of the first racket of the world. The seven finals that he has are an indicator of psychological stability, and most importantly, you can see how he can add, ”the president of the Russian Tennis Federation summed up.

Honored Coach of Russia Vladimir Kamelzon noted the will and character that Daniel Medvedev demonstrated in the semifinals.

“This is a unique victory! We had to wait for the Russian player in the final of the Grand Slam tournaments for a long 14 years. What Daniel did, I put on a par with heroism. I am happy that I lived in the era of Kafelnikov and Safin and waited for us to live in the era of Medvedev. He will still bring us a lot of joy from tennis, ”Kamelson quotes TASS.

In addition, the coach noted that during the semi-final meeting, the 23-year-old Muscovite proved that he possesses qualities that none of the tournament participants can boast of.

“Dimitrov, by virtue of experience, entered the court with a definite plan. I pulled Daniel into a long throw. It was difficult for Medvedev, he felt awkward, but on the tie-break, luck was on his side. Now no one in the world plays decisive balls stronger than Medvedev. The second and third sets were difficult for him, but he showed Russian perseverance, which is inherent in him, ”the specialist emphasized.

The success of Daniil Medvedev was also appreciated by Mikhail Yuzhny, two-time semi-finalist of the Grand Slam tournaments. In an interview with RT, the ex-tennis player admitted that he did not expect such a breakthrough from his compatriot.

“To be honest, I’m very surprised that Daniel reached the final. Before the start of the tournament, I did not count on this. It seemed that according to the grid that he had, it was almost impossible. I thought that he did not have enough strength already at the stage of the quarter-finals, but time showed that I was wrong. It is amazing what form he took, and this despite the fact that already in the fourth round problems related to fatigue began. This speaks of his high class, ”said Yuzhny in an interview with RT.

At the same time, he did not make predictions as to what scenario could be the decisive meeting on the American court. The ex-eighth racket of the world noted only that it would be problematic to beat Rafael Nadal to Medvedev.

“Nadal is perhaps one of the most uncomfortable rivals for him - this is evidenced by the defeat of Rafa in Montreal. But after all, Djokovic, whom Medvedev dealt with in Cincinnati, too, to put it mildly, is not simple. Going to court, Daniel proves that he deservedly fights for the title. We will believe that he can do this last step, ”summarized Yuzhny.