Australia Two tennis players who have badmouthed each other, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, will meet for the first time at a Grand Slam, in the Australian Open semi-finals today.
* Medvedev - Zverev: 3:30 p.m. today, January 26, Hanoi time.
Medvedev and Zverev have faced each other 18 times since joining the ATP Tour, but have never met at a Grand Slam until today's Australian Open semifinals. Their relationship was good until April 2023, when the two players met in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters.
At that time, Zverev said Medvedev was one of the "most unsportsmanlike" players in the world. "I really value fair play and sportsmanship. Medvedev does not," Zverev said after losing to Medvedev 6-3, 5-7, 6-7(7) on April 13. In this match, the German shook hands with the winner, but did not look at Medvedev.
Medvedev (right) and Zverev were tense as they shook hands after the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters in April 2023. Photo: Reuters
The reason is said to have come from Medvedev going to the toilet in the middle of the third set without the referee's permission. The Russian tennis player recounted the incident: "He had a chance to serve to win the match, and he still said that my going to the toilet made him play worse. When Zverev lost, we could find 25 interviews about him, where he said some strange things."
Despite winning, Medvedev was still frustrated with his opponent. In the next round, he lost to Holger Rune, then said: "Zverev is living in his own world. When he says someone is not playing fair, Zverev should look at himself in the mirror."
Speaking about his ATP Tour colleagues, Medvedev also said he is good friends with about 90 players, of which he has a great relationship with 50. Despite having Russian parents, Medvedev revealed that he and Zverev were never really close friends growing up. Before that, the two players had a good relationship during their childhood in junior tournaments. "In some congratulatory speeches, he spoke as if he was a friend of me and my wife," Medvedev said.
Tensions have eased in the last four matches between the two sides, with neither side saying anything negative about the other after the match. Medvedev has won three of those, bringing his record against Zverev to 11 wins and 7 losses.
"He's kicked my ass many times over the years," Zverev joked about Medvedev, after beating Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals on January 24. "A lot of our matches were close. Medvedev played great tennis last year, and I was coming back from injury and lacking confidence in important moments."
The injury suffered in the 2022 Roland Garros semi-finals kept Zverev off the court for six months, and it took him a year to get back to his best. "I was at my peak before the injury," Zverev added. "I'm happy that now I can get back to my level and give myself another chance."
Both had tough matches in the previous rounds. Medvedev had to play two five-set matches, including his match against Emil Ruusuvuori that ended at 3:40 a.m. local time. Zverev narrowly lost to Lucas Klein in the second round, then played Cameron Norrie in five sets in the fourth round before surprising Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.
Zverev celebrates his victory over Alcaraz in the quarterfinals on January 24, at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. Photo: Reuters
"When there are few people left in the tournament, you know you are doing well," Medvedev said ahead of the semi-final. "There are not many people to bother you and you focus more on the title. I like that feeling and hopefully I can be here on Sunday."
While Medvedev has reached the Australian Open final twice, Zverev has never reached the final in Melbourne. The German has only reached one Grand Slam final, the US Open, where he lost to Dominic Thiem in 2020. The win over Alcaraz on January 24 was Zverev's first time beating a top-5 opponent at a Grand Slam.
Vy Anh
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