‘Oh my God’: Medvedev clears up one-word confusion; cheeky act for Aussie coach — Talking Pts

Daniil Medvedev is all about playing the long game. And after his dramatic five set triumph over Alexander Zverev in Melbourne on Friday, it is clear the Russian has a long memory.

How else to explain his reaction after edging his arch-rival 5-7 3-6 7-6(4) 7-6(5) 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena in 4hr 18min to book a spot in the Australian Open final against Jannik Sinner?

After the German struck a forehand wide, the 2021 US Open champion put his finger to his lips and turned to his box before appearing to mouth the word “karma”, which is a reference to a previous controversy involving Zverev.

But perhaps he meant “calmer” instead, for a deliberate decision in the off-season to attempt to adopt a more even temperament is also reaping rewards.

But back to “karma”, for in an episode of the Netflix documentary Break Point focusing on Zverev’s comeback to tennis, the German is captured on film using the word after watching Medvedev lose in the first round at Roland Garros.

Medvedev’s wife Daria is friends with Olya Sharypova, one of two women to level abuse allegations at Zverev, and there is no love lost between the two semi-finalists.

At least, there was not until Medvedev opted for diplomacy early on Saturday morning rather

than inflaming the controversy when claiming that what he had said was related to his support team.

“I tried to not go on Twitter but I went on Twitter and I saw it all over the place. I was like, ‘Oh, my God’,” he said.

“As I said just right now, I don’t want to go, let’s say (inflame it) because it’s a little bit like when you try (to) you know, touch someone and then he touches you back and then you touch someone.

“I (have) had my moments, probably the most with (Stefanos) Tsitsipas, and even with him we seem to be, you know, we’re not friends, but we seem to respect each other more than before.

“It was something related to my team. Something about mentality. So, yeah, nothing to do with this. I would not be happy to do it this way.”

So, “calmer” instead. Or thereabouts. Either way, Medvedev is through to another grand slam final.

Revenge might be a dish best served cold and Medvedev delivered a tennis version of this to Zverev by overcoming a two set deficit to deny the German a spot in a grand slam final.

In the infancy of his win Medvedev was listless. It was scarcely surprising given the 27-year-old had spent more than 16 hours on court heading into the clash with Zverev.

By midway through the third set Medvedev felt “he could not run anymore” and started to play more aggressively from the baseline. And somehow he pulled off a miracle comeback.

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A touch of luck helped, with the 2021 US Open champion extremely fortunate when he shanked a drop shot winner deep in the fourth set tiebreaker to bring up a set point to level.

But these things even out. In the first set, having fought back to 5-all, his rival snared a letcord that helped him regain the early advantage in the match. Karma? Karma.

Fortune tends to favour those who work for it and Medvedev has been preparing for these moments for years, including a determined effort recently to stay “calmer” in matches.

Many years ago Australian coaches watched stunned as the angular Russian spent almost an hour running repeat sprints from line to line to line on a series of courts in New York.

It was a couple of days before the US Open and such a gruelling routine would normally ruin the prospects of a contender at a time most players are tapering for the tournament.

When the Aussies quizzed his team, they were advised they were building a champion for the future. Short-term pain would lead to greater gains in the future. And so it has proved.

But the challenge for Medvedev, who is through to his sixth grand slam final and third Australian Open final, is finding the legs to challenge the sensational Sinner.

Medvedev has spent 20hr 33min to reach the final, with his triumph over Zverev his third to go the distance after previous epics against Emil Ruusuvuori and Hubert Hurkacz.

Sinner, in contrast, dropped his first set for the tournament when defeating 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic on Friday afternoon.

He has spent six fewer hours on the court over the fortnight and will also enjoy the longer break to freshen up leading into the final as a result of an afternoon outing.

Medvedev said he had never endured a tougher grand slam tournament than this edition. But he is as proud as can be and will do his best to be 100 per cent by Sunday night.

And if Medvedev, who lost to Djokovic in the 2021 decider and Rafael Nadal a year later, somehow manages to outlast Sinner, he will be “the happiest man on the planet”.

SINNER’S CHEEKY ACT FOR AUSSIE COACH

Jannik Sinner was in such a good mood after his stunning dismantling of Novak Djokovic that he took the chance to duck back into the press room after completing his media obligations.

But it was not because he was in a rush to divulge the game plan that led to his success over the 10-time Australian Open champion. Rather, he was keen to quiz his own coaches.

As per standard practise at grand slams, the coaches of the finalists attend a pre-final press conference and Sinner’s coaches Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill spoke on Friday night.

Cahill, who rushed back courtside to watch Medvedev and Sinner from the media seats, had just explained his role with the camp when the Italian star popped in for a surprise question.

“How is it to coach Jannik?” the world No.4 asked his coaches.

Cahill, who guided Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi and Simona Halep to the world’s top ranking, has been around too long to let a good opportunity slip and went for the throat.

“It’s (a) crappy job. We are not paid enough,” Cahill responded.

“The guy gives us a hard time all the time and he’s forever actually taking our money in card games and he gets a lot of enjoyment about that stuff.”

CAN AN AUSSIE CLAIM A SINGLES TITLE ON SATURDAY?

Promising Queenslander Emerson Jones will seek to break a local drought dating back to 1995 when she contests the Australian Open girls singles final on Saturday.

The daughter of former Olympic silver medallist Loretta Harrop and former QAFL best-and-fairest Brad Jones, Jones and her brother Hayden have set tongues wagging.

Jones, who reached the 3rd Rd at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the girls singles last year, has continued to mature and has played impressively over the past week in Melbourne.

Seeking to become the first Australian junior since Ash Barty at Wimbledon in 2011 to win a girls’ singles at a grand slam, the 15-year-old showed grit on Friday when winning two matches.

After rain played havoc with the schedule on Thursday, Jones returned to Melbourne Park on Saturday and defeated Japanese talent Sara Saito 3-6 6-1 6-1.

She backed up later on Friday afternoon with a 6-4 6-1 victory over Iva Ivanova and will now seek to become the first local winner since Siobhan Drake-Brockman in 1995.

Jones, who is bidding to join legends including Evonne Goolagong Cawley on the honour roll, faces another challenging test against top seeded-Slovakian Renata Jamichova.

But the Gold Coast resident is looking forward to the chance to play a feature final on Rod Laver Arena, with action to begin at midday.

“It’s great as I didn’t expect this at all coming into it, but it is a great feeling, especially in my home slam,” Jones said.

“I feel confident in my game. I feel like I’m playing pretty well right now and mentally I’m a lot better than I was a few months ago.”

The boys final will be played between 4th seeded Rei Sakamoto from Japan and Jan Kumstat from the Czech Republic.

REMARKABLE RUN GOES ON THE LINE

Wheelchair star Diede de Groot is in the midst of an unbeaten streak in the wheelchair singles dating back to a loss in Melbourne leading into the Australian Open in 2021.

In another final to be held on Saturday, she faces Japan’s Yui Kamiji, who is the last woman to beat her and held match points only a week ago in a lead-in event, on Kia Arena.

It is not the only streak the great Dutchwoman is enjoying in Melbourne, having partnered Aniek van Koot to a fourth consecutive Australian Open doubles title.

In the men’s wheelchair doubles, Great British duo Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid managed to claim their fifth successive title on the same day.

Hewett will play Japanese sensation Tokito Oda, who became the youngest Wimbledon champion in any discipline last July, in a rematch from their clash at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in the men’s wheelchair singles.

Guy Sasson from Israel upset top seed Niels Vink in the semi-final and will play world No.2 and defending champion Sam Schroder in the men’s quad wheelchair final.