After breezing through Friday’s semi-final match against Stefanos Tsitsipas , Daniil Medvedev fired a mental barb at Novak Djokovic ahead of their Australian Open decider, declaring the pressure was all on the Serbian champion's shoulders.
The relentless Russian will contest his first final at Melbourne Park on Sunday and look to claim his maiden Grand Slam title after beating Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 at a floodlit Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic will bid for a record-extending ninth Australian Open title and 18th Grand Slam crown in total to edge closer to Roger Federer's and Rafael Nadal's record of 20.
"First of all, I like that I don't have a lot of pressure because he never lost in eight times he was here in the finals," Medvedev said.
ALSO READ | Osaka knocks Serena out, storms into Australian Open final
Before Medvedev's semi-final, Djokovic told Eurosport "the new generation" of players had a lot of work to do and he would not "hand it over" to them.
Medvedev responded: "When Novak says he's not going to hand anything to somebody, I believe him. So I know that to beat him you need to just show your best tennis."
Djokovic also praised Medvedev as the "man to beat" in Melbourne and for two brilliant sets, the Russian lived up to the billing.
ALSO READ | 'Not normal': Djokovic raises quarantine-injury connection
After being a break up in the third set, Medvedev experienced a minor wobble, which showed a glimmer of hope to Tsitsipas. Yet he broke Tsitsipas again and served out the match with authority.
The 25-year-old Muscovite famously riled the crowd at the 2019 U.S. Open before winning them over in a brave five-set loss to Nadal in the final.
"I got a little bit tight, not because of the score at all but more because of the crowd... When you're used to playing with a crowd, it’s one thing," said Medvedev.
"Here it did get into my head. I'm happy that I managed to change my focus and change the momentum at the end of the third set.
Comments
SHARE