The Russian cold-bloodedly strangled his opponent in the historic semi-finals.
Reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon is a fundamental achievement of Daniil Medvedev. This tournament for a long time remained the most difficult for the Russian in the Grand Slam series: until 2023, the tennis player never managed to reach the final rounds of the English championship. The confrontation with Carlos Alcaras for a ticket to the final promises to be difficult, but our athlete has a chance to win over the first racket of the world.
The key to Medvedev’s victory may be his cold-blooded nature, which has seen the Russian win four of his five career TSH semi-finals, including a historic duel with Grigor Dimitrov at the US Open.
Daniel won a flawless victory in three sets.
Medvedev’s historic breakthrough
The 2019 US Open was a milestone in Medvedev’s sports biography. According to the results of the previous season, the Russian has already firmly established himself in the world elite, finishing in the top 20 of the ATP rating, but he has not yet been able to prove himself at the Grand Slam tournaments. Daniil performed best on hard, reaching the third round at the US Open and the fourth at the Australian Open.
That summer, the talented tennis player managed to make a long-awaited breakthrough. In August, Medvedev produced an excellent series, playing in three hard finals in a row: in Washington, the Russian lost to Kiryos, in Montreal to Nadal, and in Cincinnati he managed to take the title by beating Goffin. As a result, he approached the US Open already in the status of the fifth racket of the world, and the expectations from him were higher than ever.
Medvedev more than justified the issued advances. The tennis player effortlessly overcame the first four stages of the tournament: only Feliciano Lopez brought him tangible troubles, but in the fourth set the Russian broke the Spaniard’s resistance. In the first TBSH quarterfinal in his career, our athlete got to compete with Stan Wawrinka, seeded under the 23rd number: Daniil dealt with him in 2.5 hours, allowing the Swiss to make only two breaks.
Photo: © Al Bello / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
The Russian approached the semifinal match against Grigor Dimitrov in the status of a nominal favorite, but his opponent at that time was in brilliant shape. Not without reason, in the US, the Bulgarian has already defeated Coric and even Federer, putting the squeeze on the five-time US Open winner in a five-set duel. In a word, Medvedev could not afford to underestimate his opponent.
“The Future of Tennis”
The opponents played the first set almost on an equal footing, but at that moment the key trends of the match were already visible. If Dimitrov won long rallies, finishing them with spectacular blows to the delight of the audience, then Medvedev acted methodically and patiently, collecting key points. As a result, the Russian managed to win the tie-break: 7:6 (7:5).
The climax of the duel came at the end of the second set. With the score 4:4, Daniil first took the most difficult game on his serve, and then made a break, negating several of Grigor’s heroic saves. At this moment, it seems, the Russian managed to break the opponent psychologically (6:4). In the third set, Dimitrov had practically no resistance to Medvedev: our tennis player literally strangled the Bulgarian with his composure.
Viewers’ opinions about the match were divided. While one part of the fans complained about Medvedev’s “dull” and “unemotional” style of play, another saw in him the face of a new generation and noted the staunch character of the Russian. Fans on social networks noted that after the victory, not a single muscle trembled on Daniil’s face: the athlete simply breathed a sigh of relief, not shaking his fists in the face of a defeated opponent.
Photo: © Al Bello / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
– The media say that Zverev, Tsitsipas and Kiryos are the future of men’s tennis. Meanwhile, Medvedev: “Hold my vodka.”
– Medvedev is a mixture of Djokovic, Murray and Simon. It’s not very spectacular, but it’s really effective.
— Medvedev does not play unusually or aggressively, but still takes points. I have never seen such a calm and reserved player.
He is not only smart, but also mentally strong. The stands were clearly rooting for Dimitrov, but this had no effect on Medvedev.
Despite the fact that throughout the tournament the American fans really booed the tennis player, he managed to get into the final of the tournament. Then, however, the Russian failed to take the title: he was stopped by Rafael Nadal. At Wimbledon, Daniil will have to fight not with the great Spaniard, but with his young heir: it is quite possible that the fifth final in his career for Medvedev is just around the corner.
2023-07-14 12:31:34
#Hold #vodka #Medvedev #sensationally #Grand #Slam #final
