Daniil Medvedev finds funny side as he beats Stefanos Tsitsipas at Italian Open - 'I was just laughing'
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Updated 21/05/2023 at 12:24 GMT
The rain in Rome seemed endless to Daniil Medvedev and his coach, but they managed to avoid frustration and keep smiling. "We were laughing" said the Russian in the aftermath of his semi-final win over Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas. Medvedev stayed focused through the frustrating delays and marched into the final in straight sets. The world No. 3 took vital breaks in the first game of each set.
Highlights: Medvedev beats Tsitsipas and enjoys a victory dance to reach Rome final
Daniil Medvedev marched into the final of the Italian Open with a straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas, 7-5 7-5, in Rome after numerous interruptions.
While the Russian earned a showdown with Holger Rune in tomorrow's final, he had to deal with the frustration of persistent rain delays.
With the first set poised at 4-4, Medvedev was hoping for the match to be halted because of the weather. Speaking with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani, Medvedev said: "It's raining heavy, as you see."
Lahyani declined to take the players off, pointing out that Medvedev had just served with the same weather. Medvedev responded, insisting "but I didn't want to serve!"
The umpire continued, explaining "we have been playing like this for eight games now. It’s the same as before."
Moments later, the rain got heavier, and Lahyani finally indicated that the players would have to leave the court.
Medvedev couldn't resist one more jab at Lahyani, saying "I know it’s raining. It’s obvious. I knew it five minutes ago!”
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Medvedev comes back from a set down to beat Shevchenko at Madrid Open
Despite the frustration of the weather, Medvedev displayed consistency and skill. Executing deep groundstrokes and employing his effective drop shot.
His dominant return game led to crucial breaks on the damp clay. He also stayed composed on his serve, sealing his 38th win of the season.
Despite twice being forced to leave the court due to the weather, Medvedev was a model of consistency.
The match lasted over five hours, although less than two hours were accounted for actually on the court.
Medvedev converted all four break points he earned and extended his career lead against Tsitsipas to 8-4.
If Medvedev beats Rune on Sunday, he will overtake Novak Djokovic and become the new world No. 2.
After the match, the Russian explained how he beat the frustration and stayed focused.
He said: “I enjoyed playing today. It was very tough with the rain delay, I warmed up like six or seven times, but actually, sometimes it can throw you off, you can be a little bit angry [about] the situation. Today, I don’t know why, I was just kind of laughing."
The Russian continued: “There were so many moments where I was with my coach. 'Okay, they are opening the court, let’s go warm up.' We went there, started warming up, and received a text: ‘The rain is heavy, stop warming up’. We were laughing about this, we were actually okay. [We said], ‘Okay, let’s wait and we can we play’, and that’s what we managed to do.”
This is Medvedev's first successful campaign in Rome, having previously failed to register a victory in three previous appearances.
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