The semi-final of the Australian Open between Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas could not be boring.
Although relations between tennis players have warmed up a bit lately, they are unlikely to become friends in the near future.
The conflict began in Miami in 2018, when the athletes quarreled during the match.
Then it faded out, then flared up again.
But in one of the interviews, the Russian noted that he considers the Greek an enemy rather than a friend.
Fans saw a storm of emotions on Friday in Melbourne.
The father of Tsitsipas added fuel to the fire.
He loudly prompted his son during the draws, which knocked down the second racket of the world.
At some point, Medvedev could not stand it and yelled at the judge, demanding to warn Apostolos, who was violating the rules.
After the victory, Daniil noted that meetings with Stefanos always turn out like this, since both are young and do not always know how to control themselves.
“Tsitsipas is a special player.
Wherever we are in the rankings, no matter what tournament we meet, whether it's the Roland Garros quarter-final or today's confrontation, emotions are overflowing.
And I am very glad that I managed to win, because the match turned out to be equal, ”said the Russian, answering questions from journalists live on the Eurosport TV channel.
At the same time, according to Medvedev, such a negative reaction to what was happening only interfered with him on the court.
The tennis player often gave up rallies because he lost concentration.
“At some point I realized: this is no longer possible, this is a mistake.
The mood reappeared only at the beginning of the third set.
With the score at 15:40, he served especially well and returned to the game again.
He said to himself: “Well, I lost some of my strength, but there is a trick again.
The match is a bit important after all” (laughs).
I’m happy that it worked,” admitted the finalist of the tournament.
The key to the confrontation, according to Medvedev, was the third set.
Starting with a score of 5:4, the Russian caught the game, began to read Stefanos' feeds better and hit every ball.
“I got some important strokes.
And then, it seemed that Tsitsipas lost his strength.
And I, on the contrary, added: it turned out to deliver blows that he probably did not expect.
I didn't change my position, I just hit harder when the ball hit the racquet and thus won more quick points.
It seems to me that if the meeting had continued further, it would have looked even fresher than at the beginning, ”the Russian explained.
Assessing the performance of the opponent, Daniil noted the speed of the Greek, his desire to go to the net and keep control over the draws.
It was very difficult for the second racket of the world to cope with such a pace, since the tennis player entered the court not completely rested after a five-set thriller in the quarterfinals with Felix Ogier-Aliassime.
As Medvedev admitted, he doubted whether he would have time to recover for the game with Tsitsipas.
“After meeting with the Canadian, I talked to the coach and asked what to do.
Was completely exhausted.
I sat in the locker room and could not even move.
We have carried out restoration procedures.
The next day I woke up and thought: “It’s okay, the muscles hurt a little, but not as bad as I expected.
I can recover."
I felt more tired than usual after matches.
And today I made several mistakes on the left because of this.
But thank God, we didn’t spend five hours on the court, and there is time before the final, ”said the athlete.
The Russian was dissatisfied with the game he showed on Friday, and noted that the best way to fix it is to have a good rest.
“Today was my worst match in the tournament.
I smeared more than usual, especially from the backhand.
Top tennis players like Stefanos and Rafael can use it.
But when you spent four hours and forty minutes two days ago on the court, it's not easy to go out and hit the ball again.
Therefore, in the confrontation with Rafael, first of all, I need to be fresh, ”the tennis player believes.
In addition, Daniil remembered his first Grand Slam final: in 2019, at the US Open, he also met with Nadal.
“We were on the court for almost five hours and I was very close to winning.
Today I'm ready to take revenge.
I know Rafael is a strong player.
And I have to show my best tennis to win the title,” Medvedev said.
In conclusion, the Russian said that he really appreciates the support of his team and his wife, who, even being far away, is very worried about him.
“When I met Felix, my wife was watching the match on TV and watching online at the same time, as the picture was late.
She first saw the result, for example, 30:0, and then the rally and was surprised: "How can he win, it's impossible."
Therefore, my entire support group helps me a lot, ”admitted Daniil.