Russian tennis players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev performed unsuccessfully at the Cincinnati Masters this year. Medvedev lost to the German Alexander Zverev in the 1/8 final (4:6, 7:5, 4:6), and Rublev in a previous stage could not face the Finn Emil Ruusuvuori (6:7, 7:5). . , 6:7).
A couple of years ago, a completely different picture was observed. Medvedev and Rublev in the semifinals determined which of them would compete for the Masters title in Ohio, and serious passions developed on the court due to the fact that Daniil crashed into a TV camera.
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Medvedev was considered the clear favorite for the semifinal match with Rublev at the Cincinnati Masters in 2021. Seeded in the tournament under the first number, Daniel won the Masters in Toronto before leaving for Ohio. In the first matches in Ohio, he easily dealt with the American Mackenzie McDonald (6: 2, 6: 2), the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (6: 3, 6: 3) and the Spaniard Pablo Carreño-Busta (6: 1, 6:1).
For his part, the fourth seed Rublev did not have such a good time, having experienced some difficulties in the clashes with the Croatian Marin Cilic (5:7, 6:3, 6:1), as well as with the Frenchman Gael Monfils ( 7:6, 7:6) and Benoit Paire (6:2, 3:6, 6:3).
Andrei Rublev and Daniil Medvedev at the Cincinnati Masters in 2021
Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images
The main argument in favor of Medvedev before the semifinals with Rublev is the advantage in personal meetings. Daniil beat Andrey in all five instances when they previously met on court. Also, Medvedev did not allow Rublev to take at least one set. Daniil’s last two wins over Andrey came at the Grand Slam tournaments of the 2021 Australian Open and 2020 US Open. Medvedev’s resume also included a positive experience of playing with Rublev in Cincinnati – an easy win. 6:2, 6:3 in 2019.
In the first set, it seemed that the public expected a standard outcome in the match of the Russian tennis players. Medvedev dominated the court and won the game 6-2. However, this time Rublev was not going to give up early and forced Daniil to fight. In the second set an even game was observed, but with the score 3:4, Medvedev still gave up his serve. Rublev realized a break point only on the fifth attempt. In the ninth game, Daniil already had two break points, but Andriy coped with the pressure and took the set – 6:3.
In the first half of the third set, the tennis players also clashed, but then Medvedev began to make mistakes. With the score at 3:3, Daniil lost his serve, did not take another’s and once again allowed Rublev to break. The result of the match is the victory of Andrey with a score of 2:6, 6:3, 6:3.
What prevented Medvedev from extending a successful run of meetings with Rublev? In many ways, negative emotions suddenly arose. In the second set, Medvedev slammed into a TV camera standing on the court when, in a 1:1 tie, he ran after the ball behind the baseline. When the camera was put back on, Medvedev kicked it. After that, he demanded to take her off the court completely: “I almost broke my arm.” The organizers did not listen to his initial call, nor did they change the position of the operator in the semifinals.
Daniil Medvedev after colliding with a television camera in Cincinnati
Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
After losing the game, Medvedev called a physical therapist. He told the tower referee, Nacho Forcadell: “I’m going to sue. I can’t play.” During the medical break, Daniel told the supervisor that the organizers did not care about the players and even after the first game with McDonald, he asked that this camera be removed from the field.
Medvedev behaved too emotionally, but to some extent he can be understood. The cameras in Cincinnati were surprisingly close to the edge of the field. Medvedev was in great shape and was really at risk of injury before the Grand Slam tournament. Of course, it was not worth kicking the camera with your foot, or talking loudly, but Medvedev rightly expressed his statements to officials.
Daniil did not calm down even after the game.
“I should have said in the first or second round that it could be dangerous. Oh wait…” Medvedev wrote below a video on Tennis TV’s social media, where his behavior was actively discussed.
Rublev rejoiced at the first victory over Medvedev, and also considered the opponent’s dissatisfaction with the placement of cameras justified.
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“Even when I lost the first set 2-6, I thought that everything should have been different. Because the rallies were very stubborn, but I made small mistakes, Daniil made excellent shots. It seems to me that the score of the first set did not reflect the game. In the third set the same thing: I won 6:3, but the match was very tense. It was very difficult, both mentally and physically. It was straight chess. Daniil usually plays from the opponent, he usually doesn’t dictate the game. So I had to make it run, turning on the power at the right times. So I tried to find the perfect moment to move it, to open up the corners. And now I beat him for the first time and it was like he graduated me from college. I have a diploma.
Camera moment? Difficult situation. When you run too far behind your back, you can run into something, either the judge or the chair that’s there. Here it happened that Daniel collided with the camera. Of course, it can be very dangerous, anything can happen. At the time of the break, I just tried to calm down and not think about what to do next, how to carry out the first draw. I tried not to push myself and just relax. Sometimes, in such moments, you start to think: how to start? How to play? To do? And in the end, you drive yourself, go out, do a double and already fly 0:30, ”Rublev said.
Andrei Rublev defeated Daniil Medvedev for the first time in his career at the Cincinnati Masters in 2021
Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Rublev reached the Masters final for the second time in the 2021 season and career. The first was in Monte Carlo, where he lost the decider to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Overall, Rublev reached his 13th ATP final and his fourth of the season. He had eight titles to his credit. The ninth could not be added to his collection then.
In the Cincinnati final, Andrey lost in 59 minutes to the German Alexander Zverev (2:6, 3:6), whom he began to lose 0:5 in personal meetings, and only this year he finally beat him, and twice. – in Dubai and Bostad.
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As for Medvedev, the unpleasant camera incident in Cincinnati did not create any health problems for the tennis player. It’s the most important thing. Daniil was not even fined for an outburst of emotions, and since 2022, the organizers of the Ohio Masters listened to him and slightly moved the cameras away from the court, which no longer led to the repetition of such incidents.
Medvedev approached the 2021 US Open in great shape, forgetting about the incident in Cincinnati. The Russian won his first Grand Slam after dealing with Novak Djokovic (6: 4, 6: 4, 6: 4) in the final and depriving the Serb of a unique chance to take the calendar Slam.
