Daniil Medvedev responds to Alex Zverev's 'most unfair player' comment - 'Look at yourself in the mirror'

ByEurosport

Updated 14/04/2023 at 17:17 GMT

Daniil Medvedev has responded to comments made by Alex Zverev following their incident-packed match on Thursday night. Zverev called Medvedev "the most unfair player in the world" and criticised the Russian for lacking good sportsmanship. Medvedev has responded to Zverev's comments, saying he is "living in his own world" and that he should look at himself in the mirror.

Highlights: Medvedev saves two match points to beat Zverev

Daniil Medvedev says Alexander Zverev is "living in his own world" and would have a conversation with him in the locker room to clear up any issue if necessary.

Zverev called Medvedev "one of the most unfair players in the world" after losing to the world No. 5 in three sets in their last-16 match at the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday.

At 5-4 down in the second set, Medvedev removed one of the net poles which drew a smile from Zverev, but the umpire decided not to give him a warning as the pole did not break.

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In the third set decider at 4-3, Medvedev ran off the court to take a toilet break when both players were meant to only switch sides.

Zverev said he was "extremely disappointed" by Medvedev's on-court behaviour.

Medvedev has now responded to Zverev's comments after his straight-sets defeat to Holger Rune in the quarter-finals on Friday.

"First, I do think that honestly with probably 90 players on tour I'm great friends," he told reporters. "With maybe 50 it's not like best friends but really great relationship.

"So I usually feel bad when something on court happens and let's say I'm not fair play, because I know sometimes I'm not.

"Yesterday what the thing with the stick made him say this? Toilet [break], well I wanted to pee. And let's take it step by step. So 2-2. No, 3-2 I have like five break points or whatever. He manages to hold. Congrats.

"Then I make the game 40-love for me. I go to the toilet, I lose next two games, he's serving for the match, and he's saying I'm going to the toilet to make him play worse."

Medvedev says that Zverev needs to look at himself in the mirror after the Olympic champion's accusations of bad sportsmanship.

"Sascha is living in his own world," he said. "I already had like five players in the locker room coming to me and saying 'come on, Daniil, why are you so unfair (smiling)?'"

"Sascha when he loses we can find maybe 25 interviews of him where he does say some strange things.

"Again, honestly saying like if guys like Casper [Ruud], I don't know, Andrey [Rublev], maybe Karen [Khachanov], even Diego [Schwartzman].

"I had let's call it a fight with him [Schwartzman] at the ATP Cup [in 2020]. Honestly, I'm at fault and probably he still doesn't like me the way maybe he liked me before this match. I'm sorry that a guy like Diego, who's so kind and so fair play, feels like this about me.

"Sascha is not this guy. Sascha is not like Casper, he's not like Diego, he's not like Andrey. When he says someone is not fair play, you're like, okay, great. Look at yourself in the mirror."

Medvedev says he would be willing to have a conversation with Zverev face-to-face if the German has an issue with him.

He added: "It doesn't disappoint me at all, but again, if in one week he's going to continue saying, well, I'm going to going to come to him in the locker room and say 'let's discuss what's wrong'.

"Tell me, I'm gonna tell you, and maybe we never gonna speak again and we are gonna be enemies or whatever. But at this moment I don't care much."

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