“I've never experienced anything as tough”: Daniil Medvedev lays bare emotional toll of Australian Open final run
ATPFriday, 26 January 2024 at 14:24
Daniil Medvedev will play the Australian Open final against Jannik Sinner on Sunday after coming from two sets down against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. After the duel he explained what he thought when he started the third set 2-0 down:
"In that time it was tough, the first set neither of us played well, in the second I improved but he played very well, the truth that I was a little lost, but at the beginning of the third set I started to tell myself that if I lost the match it was going to be being proud of me fighting until the end, so I'm very proud."
Little by little he was feeling better in the third set even though fatigue was starting to show: "At one point in the third set I realized that I was physically tired and it seemed that he wasn't. So what I did was to keep trying. So what I did was to keep trying. I started to get better shots that I hadn't gotten before, I started to serve much better, putting a lot of pressure on my serve".
On the key drop shot in the tie break of the fourth set, he admitted to having been lucky: "In the tie break something incredible happened, I was very lucky at 5-5, but that's tennis. The slice was intentional, but the drop shot with the soft spin was not. When I touched it I started to tell him not to touch the net because it was going to be difficult for him if it went through. So yes, you have to be lucky and today is my day."
Happy to have overcome his limits and to have been focused to come back from such a tough and long match against an opponent like Zverev:
"I've never experienced anything as tough as this tournament and I'm happy about it. My stats in five sets so far were not good and physically and mentally it is tough to play five sets and many times I had not been strong enough. So I am happy. A month ago I tried to change to have a stronger mentality and not think about a guy in the stands who was saying whatever. I'm far from perfect, but I'm trying."
On Sunday's final and his opponent Jannik Sinner: "I need to recover well and be fit on Sunday. He is playing awesome."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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