"I fought from start to finish" - Daniil Medvedev overcomes fatigue to reach the semifinals in Shanghai

Former World No.1 Daniil Medvedev took a step closer to winning his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy in two years, as he battled past Alex De Minaur to reach the semifinals at the 2024 Shanghai Masters.

The Russian star looked energized in his 6-4 6-4 victory over the seventh seeded Australian. However, this was far from the case as Medvedev was having doubts about his fitness prior to the quarterfinal showdown.

Medvedev had faced rising American star Learner Tien in the round of 16, defeating the youngster in three grueling sets. The match took a toll on the 2021 US Open champion, who spent three hours locked in battle in humid conditions.

Following his victory over de Minaur, Medvedev admitted to being exhausted after his win, citing the physicality of his previous match. The Russian gave credit to de Minaur, but credited his fighting spirit for being able to overcome his fatigue.

"It was a very tough match, especially after playing Learner two days ago," said Medvedev in an interview with 'More!'. “Even despite a day off, my legs were still tired. My brain was tired because it was a very nerve-wracking match. I’m glad I was able to stay focused from start to finish and hit the ball well.

“He [de Minaur] played the important moments well, and the last two games were crazy, so I’m very happy with my performance. There were doubts [That he would recover from the match with Tien], but I always fight. That is, if there is no injury, and there was no injury, then you need to fight to the end, and that is what I did.

"The second set was very difficult physically, perhaps for him too, because at the end he made a few mistakes in important moments. It’s humid and hot here every day, but I fought from start to finish, and overall I felt fine."

The 16th seed will face Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the semifinals. This will be Medvedev's 50th hardcourt semifinal, making him the third active ATP player to achieve this milestone after veterans Gael Monfils and Novak Djokovic.