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His style of play may not be the most elegant, but Daniil Medvedev (24) has reached the middle of the world class since his successes this fall. After winning the 1000 tournament at Paris-Bercy, he also remains undefeated in the ATP final in London and takes the title and coveted trophy.
It was a very good performance: when he used his first match ball in the final against Dominic Thiem (27) of Austria after two hours and 42 minutes, the 1.98-meter tall Russian winced. He runs to the front of the net to receive the opponent’s congratulations and sits on his bench, seemingly emotionless.
“I encouraged other players”
One is used to different emotional outbursts of yours from the past. The “bear” – that’s his nickname, not because of his posture but because of his last name – repeatedly made mistakes in his choice of words and verbally abused the chair judges. The current world number four also liked to take on the fans, or let out his rage on rackets. All the things that don’t make him a crowd favorite. But he doesn’t seem to care much. For example, when he was whistled after a victory in the Platz interview in 2019, he said: “Keep going, your energy only makes me stronger and I won because of you. Remember that when you go to sleep tonight. “
He caused a stir in 2019 with a prominent interview with the British newspaper “Metro”. He then revealed how he thought of Roger Federer (39) when he was young: “I hated Roger. I just couldn’t watch him win over and over again. I encouraged the other players from the first round because I had this attitude. “Medvedev even needed a psychologist. He managed to calm the 24-year-old. Almost too calm on the tennis court.
In a few weeks, the first Grand Slam tournament of the 2021 season should take place in Melbourne. Federer has announced that he will return to the Australian Open after a long injury. So it is quite possible that the paths of the two intersect there. Federer and Medvedev have met three times, always with the best ending for the Swiss. The Russian could only win one set in direct encounters. He would love to change something in this balance.
«Dangerous for the health of the players»
But there is currently a big question mark behind this Australian Open. The ongoing corona pandemic is worrying organizers. The tournament is scheduled to begin on January 18. Players cannot arrive before January 1 and must be quarantined for 14 days after arrival. This is what the latest coronavirus regulations want in Victoria, the state where the Australian Open takes place. For the players, this means that, in these circumstances, they will hardly have training opportunities on site before the start of the tournament.
Medvedev believes that this endangers the health of the players. “I’m not complaining that it’s boring or anything. It’s just that walking out of the room after 14 days of doing nothing and then having to play five sets right away would be really dangerous to any athlete’s health in my opinion. I don’t think anyone can go there if they have to stay in the room 14 days before. If we can’t train during the quarantine shortly before the tournament, I don’t think the tournament will take place. “
At the moment, there is apparently a possibility that the tournament will be postponed until February or even March. The organizers are covered, this is pure speculation. (sst)
