Kuerten’s heir with Russian roots. Who is Thiago Wild, who knocked out Medvedev with RG
Alexander Nasonov May 30, 2023, 19:50 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
The Brazilian sensation, ranked 172nd, beat a top 10 tennis player for the first time in his career.
… Yes, we did not expect such a performance from Medvedev at Roland Garros. After Daniil won the Rome Masters, winning the title on clay for the first time in his career, one could expect the banquet to continue. And it certainly could not be assumed that the second racket in the world would lose in Paris in the first round against a tennis player who had never been in the top 100, and is now closer to the bottom of the top 200 (yes, in the 172 line). of the ATP ranking). At the same time, it is not entirely correct to say that Medvedev lost to “some kind of nameless.” What a name in the world of tennis Thiago Wild, and that is the name of the hero of the day, he has already earned it.
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Wild, who turned 23 in March, is a different kind of dirty player. Actually, this shouldn’t be surprising if we’re talking about a player from South America. Thiago has won the various Challengers six times in previous years. And for this reason alone, the defeat of Medvedev, of course, is still a sensation, but still not as big as if it happened with a bang. And despite all his love for clay, Wilde won a TBS as a junior, but not Roland Garros, as one might assume, but the 2018 US Open. And in March 2020 he won his first ATP title. In the final of the tournament in Santiago Wild, in three sets, he beat the Norwegian Kasper Ruud, who was not yet in the top 10 at that time, but was already strong enough. This title is valuable not only in itself, but also because Thiago became the youngest Brazilian to win an ATP tournament.
Thiago Wild vs. Daniil Medvedev at Roland Garros
Photo: Getty Images
Having beaten the second racket in the world, Wild, of course, does not automatically become the favorite for Roland Garros. But now he has reason to dream of the laurels of his famous compatriot Gustavo Kuerten, who won three times in Paris. Yes what: Thiago became the second Brazilian in the Open Era (since 1968) to beat a top 2 opponent on TBS. Kuerten, on the other hand, had a similar feat twice: at the US Open in 2002, beating our own Marat Safin, and at his beloved Roland Garros in 2004, beating the then not-yet-legendary, but already magnificent, Roger Federer. .
And Thiago Wild is a Brazilian with… Russian roots! Yes, yes, his father’s ancestors come from Romania and Russia. But his mother is German. The idol of an athlete in tennis is, who do you think? – of course Rafael Nadal, one of the best players ever and certainly the strongest clay player. Wild considers his best quality to be bravery and his worst quality to be laziness. And Thiago plays tennis because the game makes him happy. “I feel happy on the court. This is my spot. Kort sets limits for me, but at the same time he gives me space and inspiration to do what I like. Tennis gives me the opportunity to be myself and express myself on the court,” the ATP press service quoted the Brazilian as saying.
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But not everything is so rosy in the personal life of an athlete. In October 2021, Wild had to fight allegations of domestic violence from his ex-girlfriend. The police intervened and opened an investigation. But the player said the allegations were “false, fabricated and driven by a desire for revenge.”
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In the second round of Roland Garros, the winner of Medvedev will play against the French Kenten Alice or the Argentine Guido Pella. Any outcome from Wilde’s next fight will not be a sensation. But, having eliminated such a formidable opponent as Daniel, Thiago is probably thinking: why not go even further?
