Daniil Medvedev defeated Alexander Zverev by going into “aggressive” mode

27th January 2024

Australian Open 2024: Daniil Medvedev defeated Alexander Zverev by going into “aggressive” mode despite being “tired.” Daniil Medvedev stated that he ran out of gas in his Australian Open 2024 semi-final match against Alexander Zverev, therefore he had to play the “aggressive” strategy.

At the Rod Laver Arena on Friday, January 26, Medvedev overcame a two-set deficit to defeat his German opponent 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5), and 6-3.

For four hours and eighteen minutes, Medvedev fought valiantly before ultimately emerging victorious. Additionally, it was Medvedev’s second comeback after trailing two sets in the current hard court major.

In the second round, Medvedev defeated Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6, 6-7 (1-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), 6-0, even though he had to play out of skins.

Medvedev felt the heat during the lengthy rallies he had to play in his match against Zverev. The pair engaged in a 51-shot rally in the opening set, and the lengthy rallies persisted into the next sets.

I was a little disoriented at first, but in the third set, I kept telling myself that even if I lost, I still wanted to feel proud of myself. After the game, Medvedev remarked, “If I lose, I lose, but I won, so I am very proud.”

“I was physically exhausted in the third set. “Let’s get more aggressive,” I responded, realizing that I couldn’t run for 40 shots as I did in the first set,” he added.

“It was my day today,”

With his back against the wall, Medvedev prevailed in the third and fourth set tiebreakers to preserve his chances. After defeating two-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, Zverev entered the match full of confidence. However, Medvedev took advantage of a service break to win the fifth and final set.

“I started serving better, and then, in the fourth set tiebreak, at five all, I got a little lucky—the slice was deliberate, but the return with backspin into the wind wasn’t. Today was my lucky day, as they say, and Medvedev continued.

Next up for Medvedev is Jannik Sinner, who defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic at Melbourne Park, ending his own 33-match winning streak.