Daniil Medvedev hailed as 'phenomenal competitor' and 'one of most intelligent players' at Australian Open - Reaction

ByOli Gent

Published 24/01/2024 at 08:56 GMT

Eurosport experts Tim Henman and Mats Wilander were full of praise for Daniil Medvedev after he earned himself a spot in the Australian Open semi-finals with a five-set win over Hubert Hurkacz at the Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park. The world No. 3 won 7-6(4) 2-6 6-3 5-7 6-4 to overcome the Pole, and he will face the winner of Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz in the last four.

Eurosport experts Tim Henman and Mats Wilander were full of praise for Daniil Medvedev after the Russian earned himself a spot in the Australian Open semi-finals with a five-set win over Hubert Hurkacz.

The world No. 3 came through his Polish opponent 7-6(4) 2-6 6-3 5-7 6-4 to reach his third semi-final at Melbourne Park, and he will be looking to go one step further than he did in 2021 and 2022, where he lost in the final to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal respectively.

Medvedev has already been in the wars this year, only winning one of his five matches so far in straight sets - his third round against Felix Auger-Aliassime - and he was also taken the distance by the spirited Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round, coming back from two sets down.

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That, along with another resilient showing against Hurkacz, is what has prompted Henman, who reached the fourth round three times in his playing career, to laud Medvedev’s competitive edge.

“You wouldn’t find many of his shots in a textbook to follow,” Henman said in the Eurosport Cube.

“It goes to show, it’s not how, it’s how many. He puts a lot of balls in court and he knows what works for him. Another amazing effort to be out there for four hours; he’s had some really tough matches, late finishes, but he’s getting the job done.

“It’s fascinating to hear about his tactics and also what’s going on between his ears. The next minute, he’s serving and volleying.

“There are times when it does look very ungainly and then you see him come to the net at such a big occasion - serving for the match for a place in the semi-finals - and he’s not scared to back himself.

That’s difficult to play against, with his unpredictability, but he’s a phenomenal competitor.”

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'He always had these physical battles out there' - Schett on Medvedev

The Russian’s technique is often the thing that raises most eyebrows when watching him play, but Mats Wilander believes that his unorthodox nature - and the way he understands it - has got him to where he is: world No. 3 and a Grand Slam champion.

“He’s one of the most intelligent players out there in terms of using what he has to offer,” Wilander, a three-time Australian Open champion, said.

“He can’t hit a topspin backhand very well, so he hits it flat all the time. It’s where he hits it from and to, and where he stands. The whole tournament, he’s been five metres [behind the baseline facing a] first serve.

“He’s such a clever tennis player. That doesn’t mean that he mixes up the shot selection much, but he is playing his game in different ways every match and sometimes it looks like he’s doing the same thing but he really isn’t.

“He’s very clever and he’s one of the players that if you look at his technique, there’s no chance that he can be up at three in the world and be winning majors and finals. He understands his game; you don’t need great technique if you understand your shots.”

'I am so destroyed right now!' - Medvedev revels in 'physical' win

Barbara Schett, on site at Melbourne Park for Eurosport, reported back to the Cube that she was slightly confused by Medvedev’s returning positions and the way that the former US Open champion had mixed up his game.

“I was very impressed because Hurkacz played some fantastic tennis,” Schett said.

“The way he moved, he had his tactics set. He was trying to come to the net a lot. We know that he has a big serve. Daniil Medvedev had to find a way to get through that match. It was physically very tasking. I love watching [him].

“He confuses me as well with his return position. Normally, you have the one position where you feel most comfortable and you don’t change it that drastically, but he’s managing to do that. He’s confusing the opponent. We saw him at the net several times, which is very unusual. We saw absolutely everything; it was so entertaining.

“What is it with Daniil Medvedev and Rod Laver Arena? It seems like he always has his physical battles out there.”

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