Still, Daniil Medvedev is a unique athlete. On those days when the Russian is not in the mood, he may not enter the court in the best condition, but his strong character and will to win never allow Daniil to play carelessly. It is not in vain that Danya received the nickname Octopus: he serves, as it sometimes seems, unrealistic balls, while he prefers to play far behind the baseline (especially when he receives serves).
Today’s US Open semi-final, which ended early in the morning Moscow time, will definitely go down in history as one of the most exciting matches of the tournament. In the current Slam, this was the best fight to date, in which the public saw two top-level tennis players. And best of all, Medvedev came into the match against last year’s champion Carlos Alcaraz in absolutely magnificent form.
How Medvedev overcame Alcaraz:
Fantastic victory for Medvedev! The Russian eliminated Alcaraz and reached the final of the US Open
We can safely say that the announced victory has already become one of the most important in Daniil’s career. Yes, the final with the legendary Novak Djokovic is ahead, but psychologically it was important for the Russian to break and surpass himself in the matches with the Spanish prodigy. Let us remember that it was Carlos who beat Medvedev in the Indian Wells final during the season. Carlitos himself did not allow Dana to reach the Wimbledon final for the first time in his career. Did Meddie, as tennis fans call him, hold a grudge against Alcaraz? Definitely!
Personally, it had been a long time since I had seen Medvedev so aggressive and sportingly angry. Yes, there are still problems with the serve and it is necessary to eliminate the increasing frequency of double faults (this problem arose for Daniil in the quarterfinal match against Rublev). We have no doubt that coach Gilles Cervara and the athlete himself will correct this component before Sunday’s final. But what a will to win Danya showed, how he ran around the court and gnawed on glasses that seemed hopelessly lost! And all this after an exhausting previous meeting, in which Medvedev and Rublev were exposed to the suffocating heat mixed with the humidity of New York. “One day a player will die and you will see it,” Medvedev said midway through the third set of that match.
Daniil Medvedev
Photo: Elsa/Getty Images
The muscular Spaniard was so confident in himself in the semi-finals that he didn’t seem to understand what was happening on the court. Medvedev took out many difficult games with his serve from his opponent’s break points, demonstrated a great forehand, attacked along the lines and achieved the all-important tiebreaker in the first set. Only with this type of tennis it was possible to defeat the current champion and still the first racket in the world.
The second set performed by Daniil turned out to be simply cosmic: both the backhand and the forehand worked. The Russian had incredible courage. In the third game, the Spaniard seemed to come to life and come to his senses, aiming to come back, but in the fourth set Medvedev put pressure on his opponent. Thanks to both tennis players for the many draws which gave us a real pleasure – they will be included in any highlights.
All about Medvedev’s relationship with the local public:
“Medvedev awakened sobriety among the New York public.” Violent reaction to Daniel’s victory over Alcaraz
Daniil, in an on-court interview, said that he played 12 points on a 10-point scale (except for the third set), and I am personally inclined to agree with him. Yes, Dani had a memorable triumphant final with Djokovic in his career on the same Arthur Ashe Stadium court, but the reported matchups can safely be ranked side by side in terms of entertainment and skill level. A Daniel like that is not afraid of any rival!
And one more very important point. Medvedev is growing mentally, every year he becomes an increasingly stable athlete from a psychological point of view. In the match against Alcaraz, the home crowd, mixed with Carlitos’ Spanish fans, again behaved rudely: they shouted under their arms, rejoiced at Medvedev’s double mistake, whistled a lot and supported Alcaraz more. Two champions of an American major from different years are playing in front of you, is it really possible to behave like this?
Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev
Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
The Russian has long maintained a special relationship with local viewers. But Daniil has already said that he tries to feed off the emotions and energy that fans pour out, directing them in the right direction for him. This also happened this time.
“The crowd was great. I’m serious. Alcaraz and I used to get into crazy pranks and I felt love for both tennis players. The only thing is that there were about a thousand Spanish fans in the stands who screamed in the decisive game between innings. It wasn’t pretty, but they seemed to feel the agony. Now you can go to bed,” Medvedev said in an interview after the match.
Beautiful, subtle, with a little trolling, Daniil style! Medvedev literally silenced all of his enemies, forcing them to hang their heads in shame. A battle with Nole remains ahead, but the Russian knows perfectly well how to beat the Serbian. It is enough to remember 2021 once again. By the way, Djokovic lost the last Slam final at Wimbledon against Alcaraz, and in the US Open final he already lost to Daniil. It seems that now Novak will be afraid of the Russian, who has achieved an overwhelming movement. In Sunday’s final everything will depend largely on Medvedev himself: if he plays with his current form, he will take the title. There are all the prerequisites for this.
