|
The Russian world number two reached the Australian Open decider
for the second year in succession by defeating Tsitsipas 7-6(5)
4-6 6-4 6-1.
Should Medvedev defeat the Spanish great, he will become the
first man in the Open era to win his first two Grand Slam titles
in succession after his triumph in New York last September.
The Russian denied Novak Djokovic the calendar Grand Slam in the
U.S. Open final and will now seek to stop Nadal from setting an
all-time men's record of 21 Grand Slam titles.
Medvedev lost his temper late in the second set against
Tsitsipas, accusing his rival of being coached by his father
from the sidelines - which is against the rules.
"To be honest, I don't think that emotions helped me too much,"
the Russian said on court.
"You lose concentration and too much energy. As soon as I did
it, I (thought), 'That is a big mistake'. I am happy I
(regained) concentration at the beginning of the third set.
"I managed to pull out some serves and it brought me back into
the match."
Medvedev was also mindful of the importance of Sunday's final in
the broader context as to which of the Big Three -- Nadal,
Djokovic and Roger Federer -- will become the most successful
man in history.
His defeat of Djokovic in New York last September denied the
Serbian a chance to move ahead of Nadal and Roger on the
all-time list, leaving all three tied on 20 major titles.
Medvedev, who lost to Nadal in five sets in the 2019 U.S. Open
final, will maintain the status quo at the top if he can reverse
that loss to the Spaniard.
"I will play, again, against one of the greatest. And play
against someone going for their 21st Slam," he said.
"Grand Slam finals are special. Of course, I remember that match
against Rafa in my first final and we played like five hours, or
something close to it.
"We have played a few matches since then and I am ready. I know
that Rafa is a very strong player. I will need to show my best
to win this match."
(Reporting by Courtney Walsh; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
