Medvedev revels in dream-wrecker role after booking Nadal date
Daniil Medvedev will once again be ready to play the
role of dream wrecker when he takes on Rafa Nadal in Sunday's Australian Open
final.
The Russian became the newest member of the Grand Slam
winners' club when he triumphed at the U.S. Open last September, in the process
dashing Novak Djokovic's hopes of winning a men's record 21st major.
On Friday, the world number two dispatched Stefanos
Tsitsipas 7-6(5) 4-6 6-4 6-1 in a fiery encounter to reach his second
successive Melbourne Park final, and it did not take him long to admit that he
will be eager to topple crowd favourite Nadal.
Should that happen, the Spaniard will remain in a
three-way tie with Djokovic and Roger Federer on 20 majors.
"I'm happy to have the chance to try to stop, one
more time, somebody from making history," said the grinning Russian, whose
New York triumph also prevented Djokovic from completing a rare calendar Grand
Slam.
Sunday's showpiece will be Medvedev's fourth major
final and each time he has faced either Djokovic or Nadal, who beat the
25-year-old in an epic U.S. Open final in 2019.
"They are really strong, huh? .... and I always
have them there waiting for me," he told reporters.
If Medvedev lifts the Norman Brookes Cup on Sunday, he
will become the first man in the professional era to win his first two Grand
Slam titles in succession after his triumph in New York last September.
There is no doubting the quality of tennis Medvedev is
capable of producing on hard courts, as he has demonstrated with his deep runs
at the Australian and U.S. Opens over the past few years.
But the 25-year-old has a short fuse when it comes to
his temper, noting he was "insanely crazy" when he first started
playing on the tour.
For a period against Tsitsipas, that flaw threatened
to throw him off course.
The Russian started strongly against Tsitsipas, dropping
only one point in his first six service games before seizing the first set in a
tiebreaker.
But his anger boiled over after he dropped serve late
in the second set as he felt Tsitsipas was being coached by his father from the
sidelines -- which is against the rules.
During the changeover he continued to berate umpire
Jaume Campistol for staying silent, calling him a "small cat".
The Greek was later issued a warning for coaching,
adding legitimacy to Medvedev's complaint.
After securing his spot in the final, the Russian
apologised to the umpire as they shook hands.
He said he had been working to control his temper for
years, not least because of his belief that it had an adverse impact on his
form.
"I regret it all the time because I don't think
it's nice. I know that every referee is trying to do their best," he said.
"So I'm actually really respectful of players who
never, almost never, show their emotions because ... it's tough. I can get
really emotional. I have been working on it."
On returning to the court after dropping the second
set, Medvedev faced two break points in the opening game as his emotions
swirled but he was able to regain his composure.
With the match poised at 4-4 in the third set, an epic
contest between the two rivals seemed to be on the cards.
But then Medvedev broke the Tsitsipas serve and ran
away with the semi-final.
Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a Comment