A strange confession from Medvedev after shaking the victory

Two sets back, a match point against him – and ultimately a happy ending for Daniil Medvedev: US Open champion and title favorite reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open. One idea helped him in particular.

In an extraordinary and unexpected tennis spectacle over the course of five sets, the world number two Russian battled against Canadian rival Felix Auger-Aliassime with a score of 6:7 (4:7), 3:6, 7:6 (7:2), 7:5 , 6:4.

4:42 hours later, Medvedev was still able to celebrate. Unlike Olympic champion Alexander Zverev, who failed in the round of 16, last year’s finalist avoided a surprisingly early exit.

“I have no idea,” the 25-year-old said in an interview with the winner on the field when asked how he managed to escape. “I didn’t play my best tennis and Felix played incredibly well. I didn’t know exactly what to do.”

For a long time it looked as if world number nine Auger-Aliassime would shock title candidate Medvedev. In the fourth set, Medvedev had to block the match point at 4:5, which he managed to do with a good serve at the start.

After that, he ran the holding swordsman but still. When asked about critical situations in the match, Medvedev said: “I thought: ‘What is Novak going to do? “

Novak Djokovic is known for making his opponent work hard for victory even in a hopeless situation. The fact that Medvedev talks about it openly and honestly shows how much he admires the mental strength of the world number one Serb. He shouldn’t be the only tennis player who wants to cut himself off from the mindset of the Australian Open record champion (9).

Djokovic is absent from Melbourne this year after failing to appeal his canceled visa in federal court.

The opponent Tsitsipas saved his strength

In Friday’s semi-finals, Medvedev, who reached the final last year, will meet now Greek world number four Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has made semi-final matches fantastic again with a 6:3, 6:4, 6:2 against Italian talent Yannick Sener. In the other duel in the semi-finals, Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal wants his chance to win the 21st Grand Slam title and the record associated with it against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, who reached the Wimbledon final.

Tsitsipas must be absolutely right that Medvedev had to exhaust himself when he disappeared long ago from Rod Laver Arena. “This is just the beginning. Let’s do it,” declared the Greek: “I am ready for anything.” This is anything but of course, only as far as his trip to Australia has ever been. After his impressive performance, the 23-year-old spoke almost affectionately about “Doctor Frank” with a smile. And that the doctor makes it difficult for him to forget about the elbow operation, he sends him regular messages.

“I’m sure my doctor is watching,” Tsitsipas said with a wide smile when he went to the microphone after his success in the quarter-finals, his unbridled, sweaty look to meet the winner: “None of us expected me to be at the Australian Open. It wasn’t part of the game plan. in Australia but I proved him wrong.”

Such an injury helps to stay humble, Tsitsipas said: “When things are going well, you tend to glorify yourself as if you weren’t touched. It’s important in the process to keep your feet on the ground and to remember that you are a human being striving for greatness.”

In Melbourne, fourth place in the world rankings is two steps ahead of Olympic champion Zverev, who surprisingly failed in the round of 16. Tsitsipas boosted his stats with his third semi-final in Melbourne after 2019 and 2021 and a fifth Grand Slam semi-final overall.

On a sweltering Melbourne Wednesday, Tsitsipas impressed with a relentless forehand. Meanwhile, only the interruption of rain slowed him down, the roof was shut off, and the children and diligent helpers mopped the floor with towels. The Greek player didn’t want to answer specifically if it was his best game of the season so far. “But it was a great performance from start to finish without a doubt,” he said. This form should lead him to his first Grand Slam title.