World number 2 Daniil Medvedev has made it to the quarterfinals of the 2022 Australian Open with a 4 set win over the American, Maxime Cressy. He is one of the favorites to win the tournament, but his round of-16 win was an uncharacteristic one. He admitted the same during his post-game interview.
Medvedev was complaining to the umpire on the court and seemed irritated during the game. He was shouting comments indirectly at his opponent. During the game, on different occasions, he said, “It’s simply insane, how lucky he is getting” and “this is so boring”.
Medvedev on Eurosport. “I was trying to get into his head so maybe he changed his tactics. I’m not happy with what I said’
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 24, 2022
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Daniil Medvedev regrets his conduct during the 4th Round match
The intention of Daniil’s comments was clearly to disrupt Cressy’s mindset and thought process during the game. Throughout the match, Medvedev was struggling against Cressy’s serve and volley style and thus, he took the help of these antics. Daniil said, “During the match, I got a little bit crazy, I think with myself.”
Medvedev was also criticized for his comments after his 2nd round tie against Aussie star Nick Kyrgios. He was responding to the vociferous crowd back then, about which he said in an interview, “People who boo me in all probability have the low IQ”.
Read More: Emotional Iga Swiatek Tears up After Edging Past Sorana Cirstea at Australian Open 2022 R4
Addressing his behavior in today’s game, Medvedev said, “I even went a little bit – I don’t want to say the surname – but some other style tried to talk something in the air. Get into his (Opponents) mind a little bit… I’m not happy with what I said today.”
He admitted that he isn’t happy with what he said, but importantly, he managed to fight through the match and progress to the quarters.
How did Medvedev vs Cressy unfold?
The match ended in 4 sets, but it was a closely contested battle between the two. The Russian was against old school tennis, serve and volley. Maxime’s aggressive net play disturbed Medvedev a bit, but he survived to break down the ever-so-resilient Cressy.
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The Tennis podcast took a dig at Medvedev’s behavior with a cheeky poem.
There once was a player named Cressy
Who made Daniil Medvedev stressy
It's in the fourth set
Nobody's won yet
If this one goes five, could be messy.— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) January 24, 2022
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Daniil Medvedev won the game 6-2, 7-6(4), 6(4)-7, 7-5. He will now face 9th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian won against Marin Cilic today in four sets.