Daniil Medvedev puts pressure on Novak Djokovic: "Never lost a final here"
Daniil Medvedev challenges record champion Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open. The Russian defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas and continued his impressive winning streak.
by SID
last edit: Feb 19, 2021, 04:29 pm
The "indomitable" Daniil Medvedev shakes Novak Djokovic's throne at the Australian Open. The Russian showed another strong performance in the semi-final duel of the brawlers against Stefanos Tsitsipas and expanded his impressive winning streak. Record champion Djokovic should be warned: There is a real chunk between him and the ninth title in Melbourne in the final on Sunday.
The 6: 4, 6: 2, 7: 5 against the Greek Tsitsipas, who had eliminated none other than Grand Slam record champion Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals with an amazing comeback, was Medvedev's 20th victory in a row. And what is even more impressive: he celebrated twelve of these successes against top 10 players.
"I hope this run can last a little longer," said Medvedev, but clearly pushed the role of favorite in his second Grand Slam final on Sunday (9.30 a.m. CET / Eurosport) to Djokovic: "I don't have a lot of pressure because he has never lost a final here. "
However, the Serb sees it differently. "He's the man to beat right now," said Djokovic appreciatively - and he knows what he's talking about. On the way to the title at the ATP Finals in November, Medvedev had also defeated the world number one in two sets.
The Muscovite was already very close to his first major title in 2019. In the final of the US Open he had to admit defeat Nadal in five sets after a great fight. It is already clear that Medvedev will push US Open winner Dominic Thiem from third place in the world rankings next Monday. If he also beats Djokovic, he even moves past Nadal to second.
On Friday, according to Eurosport expert Boris Becker, Medvedev showed "tennis almost from a different planet" at times. He did not let the big Greek fan base in the Rod Laver Arena or his arch rival Tsitsipas disturb him.
Since their first meeting in Miami in 2018, the two young stars had often verbally clashed. "I may have said in the past that he played boring," said the Greek before the semi-finals and tried to smooth things over: "But I don't really think so. He's extremely clever."
The gifted Medvedev, big fan of Bayern Munich, is one of the most interesting appearances on the tour. In addition to Russian, the 25-year-old speaks fluent English and French. He also graduated from a school specializing in mathematics and physics and is a gifted chess player. Coach Gilles Cervara once compared his protégé to a genius who cannot always be understood.
But now the genius is facing one of the toughest tasks in tennis. With his eight titles, Djokovic is the king of Melbourne, and his undefined abdominal muscle problems no longer seem to cause him any complaints. "I am ready for the fight without a doubt," he said after his easy semi-final win against sensational Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev.
Japan's top star Naomi Osaka wants to win her fourth title in her fourth Grand Slam final on Saturday (9.30 a.m. CET / Eurosport and ServusTV) - the second in Melbourne after 2019. Against the American Jennifer Brady, trained by German coach Michael Geserer Osaka is the clear favorite.