Alexander Zverev admits regrets over heated Daniil Medvedev spat
Alexander Zverev says he ‘regrets’ publicly accusing Daniil Medvedev of being an unsportsmanlike player, although he does stand by his comments.
The pair fell out after an eventful match at the Monte-Carlo Masters, which Medvedev won after Zverev served for the match.
Just before that service game, Medvedev inexplicably removed a net post, apparently to try and disrupt the resumption of play and Zverev’s rhythm.
It understandably upset Zverev, who was frosty to say the least with Medvedev at the handshake before quickly storming off court. He then gave an interview levelling some serious criticism at Medvedev, branding him ‘one of the most unfair players in the world.’
Never change, Daniil ?@DaniilMedwed #RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/RhNaigN0Gn
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 13, 2023
Looking back, Zverev says he probably should have handled it differently, although his observations appear to be unchanged.
“I’m a bit regretful about how I gave the interview,” Zverev told Sky Sports Germany. “I really believe that [was about] simply winning the match, not by playing tennis, and that’s something I hate.
“You can say a lot of things about me, but I never take a medical time out, I never go to the toilet unnecessarily. I don’t make any moves, I don’t do anything like that because I just don’t like it.
“I hate it when something like that is done, and I find it incredibly unsportsmanlike.
“At the end of the day, I should have come to him myself and told him: ‘hey, what the hell is this’ and not given an interview about it, but I was disappointed. I was angry at that moment.”
What did Alexander Zverev say about Daniil Medvedev?
Zverev was clearly immensely upset with Medvedev after that match, and his comments to Sky Sports Germany were cutting to say the least.
“He is one of the most unfair players in the world,” Zverev fumed. “I take fair play and sportsmanship very seriously. He does not. He takes a toilet break when it’s not possible anymore.”
(For fair context here, Medvedev did leave the court to go to the toilet at 4-3 in the third set, but because he returned within the standard changeover time that was within the rules.)
“There are 1000 situations in which he feels that I start to play better and in which he tries to do something every time. I’m extremely disappointed from him as an athlete.
“Of course, you can argue that it’s not good form from me that I get distracted. This should not happen to me and it’s totally my fault and it really was bad from my side.
“But still, I feel fair play should always be part of sports.”
Medvedev and Zverev have played each other 18 times during their careers with the Russian coming out on top in 11 of them.
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