Carlos Alcaraz has been heaped with praise by Daniil Medvedev, who has described the first time that he realised how talented the Spaniard is.

Alcaraz became the youngest world No.1 in history after winning the 2022 US Open, and Medvedev suggested that the 20-year-old has been a product of his own downfall in terms of critics.

“He started off crazy, at his age,” Medvedev exclusively told Eurosport. “Youngest world No. 1 in history, that says it all.

“That’s why right now when he is losing maybe just a bit more matches than before, you see people starting to say ‘oh maybe he lost his confidence a little bit’.”

The Russian added, “He’s still 20 years old, very young, so it’s normal that sometimes in his career he’s going to have some ups and downs. But the talent that he has is pretty unbelievable. We knew straight away when he came on tour.”

I'm lost for words at right now! ???? I just want to keep dreaming!

???? Getty Images pic.twitter.com/IyQXjvgamY

— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) September 12, 2022

Medvedev went onto talk about the first time that he was made aware of Alcaraz, when the now two-time major winner was training with world No.5 Andrey Rublev.

“I remember he was somewhere close to the top 100, and he was hitting with Rublev,” said Medvedev. “Andrey is one of the hardest hitters in tennis, and at the time I think Carlos was 17. And I was looking and I was like ‘wow, he hits stronger than Andrey’. This guy has good potential.”

Medvedev continued, “So it’s going to be interesting to see how he copes with all the things that come with playing good at tennis, a lot of sponsors, a lot of interest, stuff like this.

“Some guys are easy with it, some guys have pressure and handle it differently. I think he’s still young to make any conclusions, so let’s see how he goes later.”

Medvedev has withdrawn from playing in Doha next week, and is set to return to defend his title in Dubai, whereas Alcaraz will continue to focus on the South American clay court swing in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.

Vamos! ???????? https://t.co/WZ7Sdomm1p

— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) February 16, 2024

Inside the baseline…

Daniil Medvedev makes some really good points about Carlos Alcaraz, who is having a relatively mediocre patch in his incredible career so far. At the end of the day Alcaraz is only human and it is not always going to be plain-sailing for him, and the Spaniard has still achieved his best ever Australian Open performance this year.

READ NEXT – Carlos Alcaraz: Regaining world number one is my goal this season

Carlos Alcaraz vs Daniil Medvedev head-to-head

Alcaraz and Medvedev have played a total of five times, with four of those meetings coming last year:

Alcaraz vs Medvedev: 3-2

1. Medvedev beat Alcaraz, 6-4 6-1 6-2 (Wimbledon 2021, Second Round)
2. Alcaraz beat Medvedev, 6-3 6-2 (Indian Wells 2023, Final)
3. Alcaraz beat Medvedev, 6-3 6-3 6-3 (Wimbledon 2023, Semi-final)
4. Medvedev beat Alcaraz, 7-6(3) 6-1 3-6 6-3 (US Open 2023, Semi-final)
5. Alcaraz beat Medvedev, 6-4 6-4 (ATP Finals 2023, Round-Robin)

 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

 Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner 

The post Carlos Alcaraz ‘is pretty unbelievable’ claims Daniil Medvedev appeared first on Tennishead.

Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev have been revealed as the two newest additions to join debutant Carlos Alcaraz in the star-studded Team Europe lineup for the 2024 Laver Cup. 

The seventh edition of the tournament will take place in Berlin from September 20-22 and Bjorn Borg’s Europe will be eager to reclaim the Cup after a two-year drought.

Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev are set to join Carlos Alcaraz on Team Europe for Laver Cup Berlin 2024.

Full Tournament Ticket Packages providing the same seat for all 5 sessions go on sale on February 16 at 10:00am CET. More info: https://t.co/dCMZg2H7JQ pic.twitter.com/B7wJ7qjOyX

— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) February 8, 2024

Just months after last year’s event, tournament organisers wasted little time in announcing the recruitment of Alcaraz for this year’s lineup in a bid to escalate ticket sales.

The world No.2 will be making his first appearance at the competition, though he will have a smidge of experience to draw from in Medvedev and Zverev – both past champions.

“Team Europe is super motivated to win back the Cup in Berlin,” Borg said in a press release.

“With Daniil, Sascha and Carlos on my team, I think we have an excellent chance of making that happen. The guys have had an incredible start to the year, and this is a really strong first half of our line-up. I’m thrilled to have these champions in the fold for 2024.”

Daniil Medvedev key to Europe success?

Team Europe stormed to consecutive victories in the opening four editions of the Laver Cup, which began in 2017, but have since registered disappointing outings.

Their downfall can be partially attributed to the rise in calibre on the other side of the net – Team World’s average ranking was higher at the 2023 instalment for the first time since the tournament’s inception.

But world No.3 Medvedev is one of the tour’s in form players after reaching the final of the Australian Open in January, and could be key in reclaiming the Cup.

Having not featured since he lifted the trophy with the Blues in 2021, the Russian poses an additional threat to the already jacked lineup.

READ NEXT: Laver Cup: Everything you need to know 

 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

 Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner 

The post Daniil Medvedev latest star to join Carlos Alcaraz in Laver Cup’s Team Europe appeared first on Tennishead.

Both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have been announced in a star-studded lineup for the ‘Six Kings Slam’ exhibition event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Djokovic and Nadal are joined by the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune and newly crowned Australian Open champion, Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic
Nadal
Alcaraz
Sinner
Medvedev
Rune

The 6 stars will meet for the 6 Kings Slam exhibition, scheduled in Saudi Arabia in October 2024.

What a lineup! pic.twitter.com/zrzIK9BMwL

— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) February 6, 2024

This signals Saudi Arabia’s continued attempt to move into tennis, with the ATP Next Gen Finals being held in the capital for the first time last year.

Upon the announcement of the event, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority branded it as a ‘major new tennis tournament’, that will be held on an unknown date in October.

Unlike other exhibition events, this will be held during the tennis season and could clash with Masters 1000 events in Shanghai and Paris.

This news comes only weeks after Nadal was announced as an ambassador for the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation, with the event reportedly originally supposed to be held after the Australian Open, but was moved due to the Spaniard’s injury troubles.

Growth and progress that’s important to see and the STF is working on that.
In a recent visit I saw the interest in both aspects and I want to be part of that role of growing the sport of tennis around the world.
The kids are looking to the future and I saw they are passionate… pic.twitter.com/vF3VaJXazH

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) January 15, 2024

Nadal had this to say after the exhibition event was confirmed, “After some other tennis players have done so, I am very excited to play for the first time in Riyadh.”

Inside the baseline…

This is certainly an interesting move made by all six players involved, that was likely motivated by large appearance fees offered to them. It was almost an inevitability that tennis would continue to move into Saudi Arabia, with the nation also being rumoured as a potential host for the WTA Finals, but it just seems a bit messy that it could clash with some big season ending tournaments in October. In terms of Rafael Nadal, this is also quite an intriguing move, as it suggests that he still intends to be competing in the latter stages of 2024, despite many thinking he could retire at either Roland Garros or the Olympics.

READ NEXT – ATP Rankings (05/02/24): Bublik bounces as Hijikata is halted

 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

 Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner 

The post Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal announced for Saudi Arabian exhibition appeared first on Tennishead.

Rafael Nadal has openly declared that 2024 is likely to be his final season on tour, but who are the Spaniard’s biggest threats to a triumphant ‘last hurrah’ at Roland-Garros?

Nadal is a record 14-time champion at the Paris major, having lost only three of his 115 matches on the French clay over the years.

If you want to be at Roland-Garros this year to see Rafa’s possible last ever appearance and enjoy the full Parisian experience then buy your ticket-inclusive Official Hospitality through our recommended provider Sports Travel & Hospitality Group (STH Group).

The company pride themselves on ‘taking fans to the heart of the action at the iconic Grand Slam tournament in France with luxury ticket-inclusive Official hospitality’, offering world-class cuisine and beverages, top entertainment and unrivalled views, for a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. Book your 2024 Roland-Garros tickets and hospitality.

However, after spending nearly a year on the injury sidelines, the former world No.1 is likely to be unseeded in May and could play anyone from the first round of the tournament.

So we, at Tennishead, have listed the five players that we believe pose the biggest threat to the ‘king of clay’ this year:

Novak Djokovic

It kind of goes without saying that at any tournament and at any stage of his career, Novak Djokovic has and will always be one of the biggest threats to Rafael Nadal.

Although Nadal has an overwhelming head-to-head over Djokovic on clay, the Serbian is actually the only player to beat the 14-time champion twice at Roland-Garros.

The first of these came in 2015, when Nadal was on a 39-match winning streak at the tournament, however Djokovic put an abrupt halt to that in a straight sets quarter-final victory.

Nadal went on a streak again between 2017 and 2020, winning four titles in a row, before meeting Djokovic in the 2021 semi-finals.

Despite winning the first set, the Mallorcan was pegged back by Djokovic and beaten in a four set classic on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The following year, Nadal did get revenge over Djokovic en route to his 14th title in Paris, but Djokovic won his third title at the tournament in the Spaniard’s absence last year.

Book your 2024 Roland-Garros ticket-inclusive Official hospitality today.

Carlos Alcaraz

From someone who has a lot of history at Roland-Garros in Djokovic, to a player with a relatively new history at the tournament, Carlos Alcaraz.

Alcaraz made only his third main draw appearance at the tournament last year, impressing with a semi-final run that ended in a cramp affected defeat to the aforementioned Djokovic.

The 20-year-old has become a constant threat at every tournament he plays in and is certainly not shy of the big occasion, leaving him as a big threat at Roland Garros in 2024.

Although they have only played on three occasions, Alcaraz has the most recent victory over compatriot Rafael Nadal in an encounter on the clay of Madrid.

And it is the clay in his home capital where Alcaraz has thrived the most, claiming the Masters 1000 crown in back-to-back seasons.

Book your 2024 Roland-Garros ticket-inclusive Official hospitality today.

Casper Ruud

Since being one victory away from becoming world No.1 at the 2022 US Open, Casper Ruud has not managed to reach the same heights.

However, the Norwegian has still been able to showcase his clay court prowess and reached a second consecutive Roland-Garros final last year.

???? Roland-Garros 2022
???? US Open 2022
???? Roland-Garros 2023

Do you think Casper Ruud will manage to win a Grand Slam after 3 finals lost? pic.twitter.com/BsjHHQd5N2

— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) June 13, 2023

This resulted in another straight sets final defeat, but Ruud is undoubtedly one of the strongest clay court players in the world, with nine of his 10 ATP titles coming on the dirt.

Being a Rafael Nadal Academy graduate, Ruud unsurprisingly idolises the 22-time Grand Slam champion and does not appear to have overcome that obstacle yet.

In their two previous meetings, that include the 2022 Roland Garros final, Ruud has not managed to win a single set and won only six games in their three set match on Court Philippe Chatrier two years ago.

Book your 2024 Roland-Garros ticket-inclusive Official hospitality today.

Stefanos Tsitsipas 

Like Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas has slightly fallen down the rankings in recent months, but is always a threat on the clay and was one set away from the Roland-Garros title in 2021.

Not only does the Greek have pedigree at the Paris major, but he also has a rare victory on clay over Rafael Nadal, that took place at the Madrid Masters almost five years ago.

Nadal does combat this with three victories over Tsitsipas on the dirt of his own, but with the Spaniard’s lack of fitness it may be difficult to keep up with the 25-year-old over a best-of-five set format.

However, the Greek will be hoping for a better build-up to Roland Garros in 2024, having not reached a Masters 1000 final on clay for the first time since 2020 last year.

Book your 2024 Roland-Garros ticket-inclusive Official hospitality today.

Alexander Zverev

The final biggest threat to Nadal in this list is Alexander Zverev, who has been a match away from the Roland-Garros final in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

This included a gruelling semi-final with Rafael Nadal in 2022, with the first two sets lasting over three hours before the German tore all three ligaments after rolling his right ankle.

As expected, Nadal has an overwhelming lead in their head-to-head on clay, but Zverev is likely to be very hungry to avenge the trauma of that aforementioned semi-final.

However, with Zverev’s pending court case expected to take place during Roland-Garros his year, his mind may be elsewhere.

Book your 2024 Roland-Garros ticket-inclusive Official hospitality today.

Honourable Mention

There are several other names that we could have added to this list, including Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev, but our honourable mention is Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.

Despite Sinner not being known for his clay court game, the Italian has reached the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros and won a title on the dirt of Umag back in 2022.

To make sure you don’t miss Rafael Nadal in his possible last ever appearance at Roland-Garros, where he’ll try to win a truly remarkable 15th title, you can guarantee the best tickets along with premium hospitality from our friends at Sports Travel & Hospitality Group (STH Group).

All their packages are now on sale and selling fast so don’t waste any time if you want to be in the wonderful city of Paris this summer.

READ NEXT: Rafa Nadal’s 5 greatest Roland-Garros moments

 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

 Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner 

The post Who will be Rafael Nadal’s biggest challengers at Roland-Garros this year? appeared first on Tennishead.

Daniil Medvedev became the first man in the Open Era to lose two Grand Slam finals from two sets up last week, but Andy Roddick has defended the Russian and backed him to be a future ‘Hall of Famer’.

Medvedev had already played three five set matches prior to the Australian Open final, coming back from two-sets-to-love down against Emil Ruusuvuori and Alexander Zverev.

However, he was on the receiving end of a comeback defeat in the final, being defeated by Jannik Sinner to lose his second Australian Open final in this manor.

Despite this, Roddick has jumped to the defence of the former No.1, “I know we always celebrate the winner and people are gonna knock Medvedev for being up two sets [and he] let it go – that’s trash if you do that. Because that’s in no way representative of what he did this entire tournament and what frankly he’s done for five or six years.”

Roddick is so passionate in his argument about Medvedev that he backed the 27-year-old as a better player than himself, “One of the most underappreciated players ever. And I’ll throw myself under the bus on this one. Twitter the other day, there’s some conversation going and I get looped in and they’re going, someone said, ‘Medvedev’s the best player ever that has one Slam.’ And I was the answer of the counter.

“And I’ll just tell everyone right now, he’s better than I ever was. He has 20-something-odd titles. He’s won however many Masters Series events, one World Tour Finals, has been No.1 in the world, oh by the way – beat Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam final.”

The American added, “[He] Has put himself there, I mean he’s been in back-to-back Grand Slam finals. This guy is better. If anyone calls him a ‘one Slam wonder’, they’re idiots and don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Medvedev’s 2024 Australian Open final defeat to Sinner was his fifth career Grand Slam final defeat, with his only victory coming at the 2021 US Open against Novak Djokovic.

Although Medvedev has a poor major final record, Roddick does not believe that any of these losses were his fault, “I’ve never left a final watching Medvedev and thought he’s blown it or given it away.”

Roddick continued, “He makes someone earn it every single time. He’s played Rafa [Nadal] twice, Novak twice and an in-form Sinner. It’s just the way it goes. I lost four finals and won one. Sometimes you just come up against someone better on the day.

“We’re acting like this one’s going to be the thing that breaks him, but he’s done it before and has come back extraordinarily. I’m not worried about him showing up and being at the business end of every hard court Slam over the next couple of years and, personally, I’d love to see him win another one. He has beaten all the best players on the biggest stages and is no doubt a Hall of Famer in his own right.”

I gave it everything but it wasn’t enough tonight. Congrats to @janniksin. Thank you Melbourne and look forward to seeing you next year???? pic.twitter.com/N0y3Xocfyw

— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) January 28, 2024

Medvedev will look to bounce back from his Australian Open disappointment in two weeks time at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, before heading to the Middle East for tournaments in Doha and Dubai.

Inside the baseline…

It probably is a fair comment from Andy Roddick to suggest that Daniil Medvedev is underappreciated, which is probably why the Russian seemed to go under the radar at the Australian Open until the latter stages. However, in some ways this might help the former No.1, as the pressure is often more focussed on his rivals rather than himself. It will be interesting to see how he handles this defeat, as the Australian Open final defeat to Rafael Nadal definitely impacted the remainder of Medvedev’s 2022 season.

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic ‘limped out of’ the Australian Open claims former No.1

Daniil Medvedev career achievements 

With Roddick heaping praise on Medvedev after his Australian Open final defeat, we at Tennishead wanted to look back at some of his best career achievements:

Career-high Ranking: No.1 (16 weeks)

Current Ranking: No.3

Career titles: 20

Grand Slam titles: 1 (US Open 2021)

Grand Slam Finals: 5 (Australian Open 2021, 2022 & 2024, US Open 2019 & 2023)

Masters 1000 Titles: 6 (Cincinnati 2019, Shanghai 2019, Paris 2020, Toronto 2021, Miami 2023 & Rome 2023)

ATP Finals Best Result: Won (2020)

Davis Cup Best Result: Won (2021)

pic.twitter.com/pSNFPOnx6t

— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) September 16, 2021

 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

 Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner 

The post Daniil Medvedev ‘one of the most underappreciated players ever’ claims former US Open champion appeared first on Tennishead.

Jannik Sinner has fought back from two-sets-to-love down to beat Daniil Medvedev and win his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

Sinner trailed the Russian, 3-6 3-6, before fighting back to become the first Italian Australian Open singles champion in a three hour and 46 minute final on Rod Laver Arena.

Medvedev has played four five set matches at this year’s tournament and is the first player in history to lose two Grand Slam finals from two sets up, following his 2022 Australian Open final defeat to Rafael Nadal.

And Sinner made it clear that he wanted to congratulate the runner-up first in his speech, “Daniil, I want to congratulate you and your team for an amazing tournament again.”

The 22-year-old continued, “I know we played in so many finals together already, but every match I find something where I can improve, and you make me a much better player.

“Your effort has been awesome throughout the whole tournament; the hours on court and today’s effort, running for every ball is remarkable to see. I hope you can lift this trophy; I’m sure you can. I wish you all the best for the season.”

Sinner lost his first six meetings to Medvedev, but has since closed the gap on the head-to-head after winning the last four matches with the former No.1.

He went onto thank his team in Melbourne and at home for helping him to the biggest win of his career, “I want to thank everyone for making this Slam so special. My team, everyone in the box and also those watching from home who work with me. We are trying to get better every day.

“Even during the tournament, we were trying to get stronger, trying to understand the situation a bit better, so I am so glad to have you there supporting me and understanding me which sometimes is not easy because I am still a little bit young.”

22,165 – At 22 years and 165 days, Jannik Sinner is only the second U23 player in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam final from two sets down, after Bjorn Borg (Roland-Garros 1974). Epic. #AusOpen | @AustralianOpen @janniksin @atptour pic.twitter.com/2jflhxxPfw

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 28, 2024

As a result of his victory down under, Sinner has become only the third Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title, joining Nicola Pietrangeli (Roland Garros 1959 and 1960) and Adriano Panatta (French Open 1976).

Inside the baseline…

Jannik Sinner is a thoroughly deserving winner, especially having beat three top five ranked players in consecutive matches. It is almost more impressive that the Italian overcame the battle from being two sets down in the final, having been so comfortable in his six previous matches. However, you have to feel sorry for Daniil Medvedev, who has now lost three Australian Open finals and in two of those was two-sets-to-love ahead.

READ NEXT – Tennis Top 5: Men with the most Australian Open singles titles

Jannik Sinner and his run to a maiden Grand Slam title

With Sinner currently enjoying the glory of his first Grand Slam triumph, we wanted to look back at his seven wins in Melbourne:

First Round –  Beat Botic Van de Zandschulp, 6-4 7-5 6-3

Second Round –  Beat Jesper De Jong (Q), 6-2 6-2 6-2

Third Round – Beat Sebastian Baez (26), 6-0 6-1 6-3

Fourth Round – Beat Karen Khachanov (15), 6-4 7-5 6-3

Quarter-final – Beat Andrey Rublev (5), 6-4 7-6(5) 6-3

Semi-final – Beat Novak Djokovic (1), 6-1 6-2 6(6)-7 6-3

Final – Beat Daniil Medvedev (3), 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3

Keep calm and CARROT on ? @janniksin pic.twitter.com/9fphsOIhaU

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2024

 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

 Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner 

The post Jannik Sinner fights back to win ‘special’ first Australian Open title appeared first on Tennishead.

Daniil Medvedev has fought back from two-sets-to-love down for the second time at the 2024 Australian Open, as he hopes to be ‘third time lucky’ at the Melbourne major.

Medvedev trailed sixth seed Alexander Zverev, 5-7 3-6, before fighting back to win two tie-break sets and then the decider, 6-3.

The Russian had played five sets in the quarter-final as well against Hubert Hurkacz, and had fought back from two sets down against Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round.

It will be a sixth Grand Slam final for Medvedev, and his third at the Australian Open, with the former No.1 hoping for a change in fate after previous final losses to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

“I managed to win and I’m very proud,” said Medvedev. “First of all we say third time lucky so let’s see. I can say from experience it doesn’t always work but hopefully in Australia they have this phrase.

“It will mean a lot because this court is not my best court in terms of my performance and self-esteem and that’s why I have had to dig deep. I will be the happiest man on the planet (if I win) but I will have to play pretty well and win three sets on Sunday.”

6 – Daniil Medvedev has made his sixth Grand Slam final, with all on hard court. Since the US Open in 2019, where he made his first Grand Slam final, Medvedev has made the most GS finals on the surface of any male player. Specialist.#AusOpen | @AustralianOpen @DaniilMedwed… pic.twitter.com/dMHFHYMGVa

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 26, 2024

Jannik Sinner will be Medvedev’s opponent on Sunday, after the Italian ended the aforementioned Djokovic’s 33-match winning streak at the Australian Open earlier today.

Inside the baseline…

It was an absolutely titanic effort from Daniil Medvedev, who has fought so hard to work his way into the Australian Open final once again. Fatigue is certainly going to be present in the final for the Russian, especially against Sinner who has only dropped one set throughout the tournament. However, Medvedev does have the psychological edge of playing five previous Grand Slam finals and winning the US Open back in 2021.

READ NEXT: How to watch the Australian Open

Daniil Medvedev vs Jannik Sinner head-to-head

Medvedev may have the lead in the head-to-head with Sinner, but he has been defeated by the Italian in all three of their most recent meetings:

Medvedev vs Sinner: 6-3

1. Medvedev beat Sinner, 1-6 6-1 6-2 (Marseille 2020, Second Round)
2. Medvedev beat Sinner, 6-2 6-4 (Marseille 2021, Quarter-final)
3. Medvedev beat Sinner, 6-0 6(5)-7 7-6(8) (ATP Finals 2021, Round-Robin)
4. Medvedev beat Sinner, 6-4 6-2 (Vienna 2022, Quarter-final)
5. Medvedev beat Sinner, 5-7 6-2 6-2 (Rotterdam 2023, Final)
6. Medvedev beat Sinner, 7-5 6-3 (Miami Masters 2023, Final)
7. Sinner beat Medvedev, 7-6(2) 7-6(2) (Beijing 2023, Final)
8. Sinner beat Medvedev, 7-6(7) 4-6 6-3 (Vienna 2023, Final)
9. Sinner beat Medvedev, 6-3 6(4)-7 6-1 (ATP Finals 2023, Semi-final)

 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

 Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner 

The post Daniil Medvedev reveals he ‘will be the happiest man on the planet’ if he wins the Australian Open appeared first on Tennishead.

Carlos Alcaraz may not be able to stop Novak Djokovic from winning an 11th Australian Open title, but the Spaniard believes that others have the ability to.

Alcaraz was beaten in his Australian Open quarter-final match by Alexander Zverev, 1-6 3-6 7-6(2) 4-6, and the world No.2 has revealed what he needs to improve.

“I think I had chances at 4-3 in the fourth set and I didn’t take them,” said Alcaraz. “I think I played good tennis in the fourth set, obviously not my best level but good. I didn’t take my chances, a lot of ups and downs with my level, I didn’t find a good serve and he was returning very well.”

The 20-year-old continued, “It was tough to deal with that pressure he put on me with every point on my serve. I have to improve, to work on it and let’s see in the future. It’s a shame my level today.

“It has been a good tournament for me, making the quarter-finals and playing good tennis. I am sad with my level today because I have been playing good tennis, the round before this with a lot of confidence, serving pretty well.”

Although Alcaraz admits that he missed opportunities in the fourth set, the Murcian admitted that the crowd were the only reason that he got to that point.

The Wimbledon champion trailed Zverev 5-2 in the third set, but broke back to force a tie-break that he went onto win convincingly.

“There was a fourth set because of the crowd and the way they bring energy to me is crazy,” claimed Alcaraz. “I was totally down and they didn’t stop supporting me. It was crazy.

“I wanted to thank them, to stay there, believing in me, supporting me in every ball. The comeback in the third set was thanks to them. Without them I would probably have lost in three sets.”

Tomorrow in Melbourne will see the men’s Australian Open semi-finals taking place, with Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and the aforementioned Zverev remaining.

And Alcaraz has suggested that he thinks that anyone could win the title, despite Djokovic being on a 33-match winning streak in Melbourne.

“The players in the semi-finals have the level to beat him [Djokovic],” admitted Alcaraz. “Let’s see. It’s not easy to beat Novak in a tournament but it’s even tougher at a Grand Slam.

“Jannik Sinner is playing an unbelievable game, he has not dropped a set yet, that means he has the level and the capacity to beat Novak. I am going to watch the matches of course and I think the players that are in this stage have the level to beat him.”

Four superstars. One trophy. Choose your champion ? ? pic.twitter.com/qCCUsXmoVz

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2024

The Australian Open men’s singles semi-finals take place tomorrow, beginning with Djokovic against Sinner, before Medvedev battles Zverev.

Inside the baseline…

Carlos Alcaraz was convincingly beaten by Alexander Zverev yesterday evening in Melbourne, with the Murcian only really getting into the match towards the end of the third set. Novak Djokovic is definitely still the favourite to retain the Australian Open title, but based on form Jannik Sinner is likely to be his biggest threat.

READ NEXT: How to watch the Australian Open

 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

 Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner 

The post Carlos Alcaraz believes all Australian Open semi-finalists ‘have the level’ to beat Novak Djokovic appeared first on Tennishead.

Daniil Medvedev is back into the Australian Open semi-finals after beating Hubert Hurkacz, but revealed that he found the five set battle ‘very tough physically’.

Medvedev beat the Pole, 7-6(4) 2-6 6-3 5-7 6-4, in a four hour match on Rod Laver Arena earlier today.

This is the second five set match that the former No.1 has played at the Australian Open this year, with his first against Emil Ruusuvuori being completed at 3:39am.

And it seems that this has all taken its toll on Medvedev, “I’m so destroyed right now. It’s not that I ran out of gas but I was already feeling very tough physically by the second set.”

Medvedev continued, “So I was like ‘OK I need to try and stay tough’. I broke in the fourth but then he played good and I’m not going to be tough on myself.

“In the fifth set I just concentrated and said ‘OK, I just have to try my best to do whatever I can. If I lose, I lose and I go home. That’s OK’. But, I’m happy that I managed to win.”

75 – Daniil Medvedev has claimed his 75th Grand Slam match win, becoming only the fourth player born after 1990 to achieve the feat after A. Zverev, Dimitrov and Thiem. At 75%, Medvedev holds the best win % of the four. Leader.#AusOpen | @AustralianOpen @DaniilMedwed @atptour pic.twitter.com/a8UP2t258w

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 24, 2024

Despite all the hurdles that he has faced, Medvedev confessed that he is still enjoying himself in Melbourne, “It’s all fine. Four in the morning was a tough situation. I like this tournament, I had some tough moments, for sure. But I’m happy to be here.”

Medvedev has reached two finals at the Australian Open before, and will be looking to reach a third on Friday when he plays either Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev.

Inside the baseline…

It does feel as though Daniil Medvedev is going slightly under the radar at this year’s Australian Open, which will probably suit the Russian as there is less pressure on him. Fans of Medvedev will be hoping that he can recover in time for Friday, as he will need to be on top form against whoever wins the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.

READ NEXT: How to watch the Australian Open

 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

 Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner 

The post Daniil Medvedev ‘destroyed’ despite returning to Australian Open Semi-final appeared first on Tennishead.

Daniil Medvedev says he hopes to finally mature this season and present a calmer figure on court – although he doesn’t know how it will stand the test of competition.

While there can be no doubting the quality of Medvedev’s tennis, his temperament has often been called into question.

It has led him to have several altercations with crowds, and his relationship with the spectators at the Australian Open has always been quite strained in the past.

He is happy to accept responsibility for that, acknowledging that he struggles to contain and control his emotions on the court.

However, he has rolled out the ‘new year, new me’ sentiment ahead of the new season, although whether he can deliver that in the heat of competition remains to be seen.

“Sometimes I could feel it could be – how we call it – not fair in a way. Life is not fair.

“Sometimes I would deserve it for different actions that I did. That’s what I’m saying. I want to change. I want to mature.

“I feel like I’ve done a big step these last months. Hopefully people can see it on the court because that’s the toughest challenge, tournaments.

“When you’re on court, that’s where the adrenaline is on its highest. That’s where it’s tougher to control your emotions. That’s how I want to be.

“I know maybe it was not the best Grand Slam in terms of me and the crowd. Even if something happens, I just want to kind of go with who I am, try to do less of stupid things that don’t help me as a person and tennis player.

“Hopefully I can achieve it this season, and we’re going to see a new Daniil Medvedev. It’s too early to say. We’ll have to see at the end of the season.”

READ NEXT: How to watch the 2024 Australian Open for free on live stream

 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

 Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner

The post Daniil Medvedev says ‘new year, new me’ as he vows to mature in 2024 appeared first on Tennishead.