Frankly, I feel bad for Medvedev

[ChaelAZ]

Through singing all the Sinner praises, people still don't realize we haven't really gained anywhere near as much as from this Slam as some would think regarding tennis moving forward.

At the end of the day, Sinner put down a miserable Djokovic that Zverev and Medvedev would have beaten just as easily. But push come to shove, Medvedev made him look like a junior for 2 sets.

Sinner put down a Djo physically and mentally coming into a match as a favorite and playing his best tennis. Sinner never allowed Novak to get into anything the first two sets and Djo raised his game to his highest level in that third, only to barely eek it out and then Sinner stepping it up to beat Djo's absolute best. Djo's errors and issues were absolutely mental fatigue and baggage against Sinner and not just an 'off-day'. That is ownership by Sinner and having the game to back it up.

It says a lot about tennis going forward, just as it did last year with Alcz and Sinner, and then the likes of Rune, Ruud, and others making more head way and all leveling up. Does it mean Djo can't make deep runs still, and maybe even get a GS? Nope. Heck, even Nadal could win the FO this year. But neither is as a foregone conclusion anymore as it used to be. By a long shot. Look at the names winning slams in the last few years. It isn't the same and it is moving to those new players.

And I am excited to see what is next, and who is next. There are some VERY talented juniors and college players out in the wings, ready to start in the next year or so.

 

[duaneeo]

Through singing all the Sinner praises, people still don't realize we haven't really gained anywhere near as much as from this Slam as some would think regarding tennis moving forward.

At the end of the day, Sinner put down a miserable Djokovic that Zverev and Medvedev would have beaten just as easily.

You really don't believe that, do you?

 

[alexio]

agree somewhat, mixed aftertaste has left after match, from one side he coulda lost for example in three or four and wouldnt be so painful

 

[Hood_Man]

At the end of the day, Sinner put down a miserable Djokovic that Zverev and Medvedev would have beaten just as easily.

We have the best part of a decade's worth of evidence to show that isn't the case. Novak looked the same on Friday as he did in Australia and Paris last year (I can't comment on his other performances at other majors, I didn't see them), except this time he came up against someone who was ready to take advantage.

 

[Kochua]

All the discussion, and yet I don't think I've seen a discussion of why Medvedev was dropping early sets left and right this tournament. Which to me, is potentially an obvious tie to his conscious choice to not do any warm-up tournaments ahead of time, which isn't something he'd tried doing before.

He got a lot of benefits from this. A well-earned break after a long 2023; some time with his family; and according to him, some new zen about life and staying mature in matches that he committed to while sitting on a beach. A quieter thing, although it was never explicitly mentioned by Daniil, is that to the extent that he needed more practice time to work on his closer return position, he got more time to do that, and that addition seemed to pay off as well.

On the other hand, as soon as he showed up and was actively sucking wind against Terence Atmane in the third set, he looked super match-unfit. At times against Emil, the same thing. After that he mostly played himself into match fitness but had already dug a giant hole with the 3AM finish, and found himself essentially pushed into maintenance "hold and tank a few return games while looking for your spot" mode due to a lack of legs in the latter stages of the Hurkacz and Zverev matches.

That he managed to somehow pull those out makes for a remarkable journey, and you never know what going into a GS uncooked will be like until you give it a try. As sad as today was: If he leaves it with more confidence in both his closer return position and his ability to win deep in matches without his legs, there's a lot to like.

 

[neytron]

This was an outstanding tournament for Medvedev. How can you not feel bad for him, even if you don’t like him in some way? He set a record for the number of sets and hours spent on one slam. In semis he had insane comeback against Zverev, in quarters he snatched victory from Hurkacz, being exhausted. Against Ruusuvori he finished the match at almost 4 am. He was far from his best form, but he was one set away from the title. He played confidently and aggressively for 2 sets in the final until he ran out of gas. This tournament should give him moral strength, what he is capable of, being far from his best form.

 

[InsideOut900]

We have the best part of a decade's worth of evidence to show that isn't the case. Novak looked the same on Friday as he did in Australia and Paris last year (I can't comment on his other performances at other majors, I didn't see them), except this time he came up against someone who was ready to take advantage.

That's a faulty argument. Even Big 3 have a breaking point.

It's like saying Tsitsipas would beat 2017/2018 Fed just because he beat 2019 Fed at AO. Or that 2022 Nadal was unbeatable in RG because he won it so easily in 2017-2020.

2024 semi was a Djokovic nothing like what Zverev and Medvedev ever faced by any objective or subjective metric. Only USO 21 final is comparable and we know how that turned out.

 

[ActualTennisPlayer]

But he got double breadsticked. I don't know being fresh would immidietly change anything.

He got double breadsticked after running out of gas. First two sets were tight.

 

[tennis_pro]

If you look from a bigger perspective, Medvedev gave it his all after so many tough matches, so just looking at this tournament alone he should feel proud of himself.

It's the 2022 final against Nadal that he really should've won, he screwed that one up big time. Then sitting on an AO title this won wouldn't feel as bad.

 

[Federev]

Through singing all the Sinner praises, people still don't realize we haven't really gained anywhere near as much as from this Slam as some would think regarding tennis moving forward.

At the end of the day, Sinner put down a miserable Djokovic that Zverev and Medvedev would have beaten just as easily. But push come to shove, Medvedev made him look like a junior for 2 sets.

There were really only 2 good outcomes out of this match, either Sinner crushes Medvedev in straights and tennis moves on to a newer playing standard or Medvedev just plays the match of his life and has his moment under the sun again.

And instead Medvedev faltered physically and Sinner upped his game from mediocre to alright and then to good in set 5 and could have still lost at the tail end of the 4th.

All we got was a new Slam winner that proved once again he cannot handle hot opponents and Medvedev got a heartbreaking loss where he literally left all he had on the court after a brutal SF with Zverev, who was a much tougher opponent.

Through all the animosities people may have toward Medvedev, the guy is already getting forgotten over the Sinner-Alcaraz new rise and his only fault was being the wrong guy at the wrong time since 2019 while actually being the 2nd best HC player of the last few years.

I love Meddy. Fascinating and fun personality and quality player.

And I feel bad for him too.

But if anyone can make a sad choke about this tonight and e joy his girl and his baby (he has a kid now right) on the tour I think it’s Med.

 

[Better_Call_Raul]

This was an outstanding tournament for Medvedev. How can you not feel bad for him, even if you don’t like him in some way? He set a record for the number of sets and hours spent on one slam. In semis he had insane comeback against Zverev, in quarters he snatched victory from Hurkacz, being exhausted. Against Ruusuvori he finished the match at almost 4 am. He was far from his best form, but he was one set away from the title. He played confidently and aggressively for 2 sets in the final until he ran out of gas. This tournament should give him moral strength, what he is capable of, being far from his best form.

Don't think number of hours was a major factor. Med is a young guy and experienced in 5 Slam finals.
This was his golden opportunity to finally grab a second Slam against the first-timer and end the drought,
Med played a perfect two sets and looked extremely fit. But Sinner's fitness and calmness is on another level. It is scary.

 

[Pencak]

I don't. He should have lost against zverev. If it was against zverev who also beat alcaraz I would agree. Sinner started taking advantage at the end of second set. It's Daniil fault not to push himself to win another set after 2022 disaster.

 

[Felippe]

It's interesting how our preferences towards players affect how we see matches. One can challenge their own thinking by switching the scenario in today's final, and think if were Djokovic who would have risen from a 2-0 situation to a 2-3 victory against Medvedev. Would you justify the victory with the same reasons if the events on the court had been the same?

 

[leodevlin]

Sinner had to adjust to Meds change in tactics and nerves of being in his first GS final which took him two sets.

He found his game in the third and put away one of the toughest GS winners of the tour by showing champion mentality and and fighting spirit.

No complaints here

 

[NoleFam]

Well said, OP. It is a brutal loss. I'm happy for Sinner but on the flip side, I am sad for Meddy. Tennis can be a harsh sport.

 

[Phenomenal]

Through singing all the Sinner praises, people still don't realize we haven't really gained anywhere near as much as from this Slam as some would think regarding tennis moving forward.

At the end of the day, Sinner put down a miserable Djokovic that Zverev and Medvedev would have beaten just as easily. But push come to shove, Medvedev made him look like a junior for 2 sets.

There were really only 2 good outcomes out of this match, either Sinner crushes Medvedev in straights and tennis moves on to a newer playing standard or Medvedev just plays the match of his life and has his moment under the sun again.

And instead Medvedev faltered physically and Sinner upped his game from mediocre to alright and then to good in set 5 and could have still lost at the tail end of the 4th.

All we got was a new Slam winner that proved once again he cannot handle hot opponents and Medvedev got a heartbreaking loss where he literally left all he had on the court after a brutal SF with Zverev, who was a much tougher opponent.

Through all the animosities people may have toward Medvedev, the guy is already getting forgotten over the Sinner-Alcaraz new rise and his only fault was being the wrong guy at the wrong time since 2019 while actually being the 2nd best HC player of the last few years.

I agree with the analysis i thought the same. Had Sinner win easily in 3 or 4 could have been huge message to the tour as i said the same thing earlier. Sinner is far from dominating. If people think he won't lose to Djokovic and Medvedev again they are wrong i think. But he will be more confident and with improving he will play better probably. This level should not be his peak.

Also Medvedev could be the best i have ever seen him in first 2 sets but Sinner's play contributed that also. So you never know in Tennis.

 

[mike danny]

Gotta say, Med handles the loss like a boss. He's matured since AO 2022.

Personal life FTW.

 

[Mark-Touch]

The following quote from an article sums up nicely the problem Med dug for himself in the tournie:

"Few finals have been preceded by such starkly contrasting paths. No player has played more sets (31) or spent more time on the court in the history of grand slam tennis than Medvedev, who finished with 24hr 17min on the clock with four five-setters, two recoveries from two sets down and multiple matches in searing heat. Sinner, meanwhile, had destroyed all challengers, dropping only a set before the final, and that against Djokovic, the defending champion."

In many ways I was lucky I couldn't watch the match live without really messing up my sleep for a few days.
I simply watched the highlights and saved myself over 3.5 hours of my life with time I can spend on other things.

But I did learn quite a bit from the brief highlights.

I saw that Med was steam-rollering Sinner for the first two sets (when he still had some energy left in his system).
But as soon as all that energy was drained from his body, he was toast.

You could actually notice his movement quickly started to suffer after the 2nd set.
Moral of the story? Don't get sucked into multiple 5-setters at a slam!
It doesn't matter who you are, eventually it will take a toll on your body.

Not to take anything away from Sinner's play.
I'm just stating what should be obvious.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

A lot of guys would love to have 5 slam finals and a US Open title. Yes his career may look like Andy Roddick or Andy Murray but I don’t feel bad for him.

 

[Technology Ruined Tennis]

Am now 112% certain that Med chokes away US '21 in five if Joker gets back to even in the third set.

(was previously 100% certain)

 

[sortof]

The guy with most regrets is zverev. He i thought showed the highest level by far when he was playing well but he lost his chance to win in the 1st week. Had he been fresh he would hacve beat medvedev in straights and beat sinner today.
Sinner won the event as he kept his time on court to a minimum. That is a champions mindset.

This "most regrets" thing is hard to tell, the Zedrot´s loss against Med was pretty cruel for sure, but so was Med´s loss against Sinner. Your are right about Sinner though, winning a slam is also about the economics concerning the time spent on court on the way to final. But Sinner was also kind of lucky in this regard given that in the semi final his theoretically toughest opponent played really miserable and was easily brushed aside.

 

[duaneeo]

This was an outstanding tournament for Medvedev. How can you not feel bad for him, even if you don’t like him in some way? He set a record for the number of sets and hours spent on one slam. In semis he had insane comeback against Zverev, in quarters he snatched victory from Hurkacz, being exhausted. Against Ruusuvori he finished the match at almost 4 am.

Yes, we should all feel sorry for the best player of his generation. When his difficult draw was announced, there were great concerns of a possible 2nd-round meeting with Ruusuvori.

 

[kl2963]

I feel for Daniil … his effort over the length of the tournament was titanic. Jannik though has made major improvements since the end of last year and fully deserves the win today. He beat Rublev, Djokovic and Daniil straight. For me at least that’s impressive.

100% agree. Daniil's effort was unbelievable. Not sure if the outcome would have been different if Daniil would have spent less time on the court.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Don't feel bad for Medvedev only to underrate him in future discussions involving roddick

 

[Mark-Touch]

100% agree. Daniil's effort was unbelievable. Not sure if the outcome would have been different if Daniil would have spent less time on the court.

OK let's go with your theory.
If it wasn't tiredness that eventually caught up to Med after the 2nd set, what do you attribute his loss to?
As I said I didn't watch the whole match, just the highlights.
Med looked very gassed in the last three sets, whereas Sinner looked much fresher.
Other than that, their play patterns/tactics had not changed at all.

 

[No_Kwan_Do]

Ironically, Medvedev felt he had to be more aggressive because he knew he wasn't running on a full tank of gas. That's the way he SHOULD be playing in a slam final anyway. Being passive rarely wins you the biggest events. Murray can testify to that.

 

[ghostofMecir]

Through singing all the Sinner praises, people still don't realize we haven't really gained anywhere near as much as from this Slam as some would think regarding tennis moving forward.

At the end of the day, Sinner put down a miserable Djokovic that Zverev and Medvedev would have beaten just as easily. But push come to shove, Medvedev made him look like a junior for 2 sets.

There were really only 2 good outcomes out of this match, either Sinner crushes Medvedev in straights and tennis moves on to a newer playing standard or Medvedev just plays the match of his life and has his moment under the sun again.

And instead Medvedev faltered physically and Sinner upped his game from mediocre to alright and then to good in set 5 and could have still lost at the tail end of the 4th.

All we got was a new Slam winner that proved once again he cannot handle hot opponents and Medvedev got a heartbreaking loss where he literally left all he had on the court after a brutal SF with Zverev, who was a much tougher opponent.

Through all the animosities people may have toward Medvedev, the guy is already getting forgotten over the Sinner-Alcaraz new rise and his only fault was being the wrong guy at the wrong time since 2019 while actually being the 2nd best HC player of the last few years.

I’m pretty much agree with everything and – I was really disappointed in the way that sinner came out and played. I really thought that he was going to reach a new level and standard as you mentioned, but really didn’t and frankly was lucky that Medvedev basically ran out of steam.

 

[messiahrobins]

I’m pretty much agree with everything and – I was really disappointed in the way that sinner came out and played. I really thought that he was going to reach a new level and standard as you mentioned, but really didn’t and frankly was lucky that Medvedev basically ran out of steam.

Had alcaraz made the final he would have won as no way he would lose a 2 set lead. Alcaraz must stop the showboating.

 

[Sudacafan]

Why are you feeling bad when he's taking this loss so well?

Why is Medvedev taking this loss so well?

Is it just me or did it feel like Medvedev wasn't bothered by the loss at all? He was all smiles and even in the post fight interview seemed relaxed and unbothered. I expected more emotions, especially given how close it was , so it's a bit mystifying. Anyone else think so?

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

 

[roysid]

I also felt bad that Medvedev couldn't win after being 2 sets to love. But once Sinner started playing better, his chance was to raise his level better and win one of 3rd or 4th set. He had some half chances in the games but he played passively in important points whereas Sinner went for winners and made it.

 

[ghostofMecir]

Had alcaraz made the final he would have won as no way he would lose a 2 set lead. Alcaraz must stop the showboating.

You know, I used to think it was about not finding the right shot or pulling the trigger too quickly, but these beat downs that he’s received where he’s not even in the match and just hanging on by a thread really concerned me about what his ceiling is.

 

[leodevlin]

Why are you feeling bad when he's taking this loss so well?

Why is Medvedev taking this loss so well?

Is it just me or did it feel like Medvedev wasn't bothered by the loss at all? He was all smiles and even in the post fight interview seemed relaxed and unbothered. I expected more emotions, especially given how close it was , so it's a bit mystifying. Anyone else think so?

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

How on earth do you conclude that it makes me feel bad?

It is just a bit puzzling , that's all.

 

[aldeayeah]

That means he is not a pushbot.

@haters will not agree.

It means he's a pushbot by choice, @haters will point out.

 

[paolo2143]

Had alcaraz made the final he would have won as no way he would lose a 2 set lead. Alcaraz must stop the showboating.

But he was never in any danger of making final as like Novak in S/F he was completely outplayed for most of match against Zverev.

 

[Mark-Touch]

Through singing all the Sinner praises, people still don't realize we haven't really gained anywhere near as much as from this Slam as some would think regarding tennis moving forward.

At the end of the day, Sinner put down a miserable Djokovic that Zverev and Medvedev would have beaten just as easily. But push come to shove, Medvedev made him look like a junior for 2 sets.

There were really only 2 good outcomes out of this match, either Sinner crushes Medvedev in straights and tennis moves on to a newer playing standard or Medvedev just plays the match of his life and has his moment under the sun again.

And instead Medvedev faltered physically and Sinner upped his game from mediocre to alright and then to good in set 5 and could have still lost at the tail end of the 4th.

All we got was a new Slam winner that proved once again he cannot handle hot opponents and Medvedev got a heartbreaking loss where he literally left all he had on the court after a brutal SF with Zverev, who was a much tougher opponent.

Through all the animosities people may have toward Medvedev, the guy is already getting forgotten over the Sinner-Alcaraz new rise and his only fault was being the wrong guy at the wrong time since 2019 while actually being the 2nd best HC player of the last few years.

Yeah, totally out of the blue, for no reason, Med "faltered physically". LOL! I love your wording.


Come on guys, let's be realistic.
At the end of the day these players are just out there making a living and a darn good one.

Med knows he's never going to be an ATG.
Do you really think it matters to him if he wins 2, 3, or 4 slams AT THIS POINT?

He's drowning in millions of dollars prize money alone (almost $40 mil at last count).
He just picked up over a million dollars for a couple of weeks work!

Try NOT to feel sorry for the guy!

 

[messiahrobins]

You know, I used to think it was about not finding the right shot or pulling the trigger too quickly, but these beat downs that he’s received where he’s not even in the match and just hanging on by a thread really concerned me about what his ceiling is.

His performances v zverev are a concern as frankly he looks clueless if zverev is playimg well. This new sinner we have might be a puzzle alcaraz cannot solve unless he gets back to basics