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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 from his hits this fall. After winning the 1000 tournament in Paris-Bercy, he also remains unbeaten in the ATP finals in London and takes the title and the coveted trophy.
It was an extremely interesting performance: when he used his first match ball in the final against Austria Dominic Thiem (27) after two hours and 42 minutes, the 1.98m tall Russian made a serious face. He runs to the front of the net to receive congratulations from the opponent and sits on his bench, apparently emotionless.
“I cheered for the other players”
One is used to several emotional outbursts from the past. The “bear” – this is his nickname, not for his posture, but for his last name – repeatedly abused his choice of words and verbally insulted the presidential judges. Even the current number four of the world loved to argue with fans, or vent his anger on rackets. All things that don’t make him a crowd favorite. But he doesn’t seem to care much. For example, when he was booed after a Platz interview win in 2019, he said, “Go on, your energy only makes me stronger and I won thanks to you. Remember that when you go to sleep tonight.”
It caused a stir in 2019 with an extraordinary interview with the British newspaper “Metro”. Then he revealed how he thought of Roger Federer (39) at a young age: “I hated Roger. I couldn’t see him win again and again. I cheered for the other players from the first round because I had this attitude. “Medvedev even needed a psychologist. He managed to make the 24 year old calmer. Almost too calm on the tennis court.
The first Grand Slam tournament of the 2021 season is due to take place in Melbourne in a few weeks. Federer has announced that he will be returning to the Australian Open after a long break due to injury. So it is entirely possible that the paths of the two cross there. Federer and Medvedev have met three times, always with a better ending for the Swiss. The Russian could only win one set in direct matches. He would like to change something in this budget.
“Dangerous for the health of players”
But at the moment there is a big question mark behind this Australian Open. The ongoing corona pandemic is worrying organizers. The tournament will start on January 18th. Players cannot arrive before January 1st and must be quarantined for 14 days after arrival. This is what the latest coronavirus regulations in Victoria, the state where the Australian Open take place, want. For the players this means that in these circumstances they are unlikely to have training opportunities on site before the tournament starts.
Medvedev sees this as a health hazard for players. “I’m not complaining it’s boring or anything. It’s just that leaving the room after 14 days without doing anything 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 will be able to go there if they have to stay in the room for 14 days beforehand. If we are unable to train during the quarantine just before the tournament, I don’t think the tournament will take place. “
At the moment there seems to be a possibility that the tournament will be postponed to February or even March. The organizers are covered, this is pure speculation. (sst)
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