Daniil Medvedev will face Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in a fiery semifinal on Friday.
The Russian was one of the tournament favorites following his US Open victory last year and he proved his credentials yet again by defeating his Greek opponent in four sets – 7-6 (5-7) 4-6 6-4 6-1.
Medvedev has often been a divisive character on the tour and the best and worst of him was on display yet again in the semifinal.
He was warned for visible obscenity after launching a tirade toward the chair umpire during the second set which seemingly turned the supporters against him.
The Russian appeared to be angry at Tsitsipas’ father who he said was coaching from the crowd in between points – something which is forbidden – and was frustrated that the umpire had not picked up on it.
“How can you be so bad in the semifinal of a grand slam? Look at me! I’m talking to you,” Medvedev shouted at umpire Jaume Campistol, after asking him if he was “stupid.”
Tsitsipas was later given a code violation after the umpire spotted his father coaching from the stands.
It’s not the first time these two players have sparked angry reactions from each other, but the latest episode seemed to momentarily throw the US Open champion off his game.
But the 25-year-old recovered quickly to win the third set and race away with the match after a devastating fourth set performance.
There was a muted reaction from the crowd as Medvedev slammed home a winner at match point but the world No.2 is used to being the villain.
“To be honest, I don’t think the bad emotions helped me too much,” he said after the match, amid some jeers from the crowd.
“Many times, I lose a match because of this because you lose concentration and lose too much energy. So as soon as I done it, I thought it was a big mistake. I’m happy I managed to re-concentrate.
“The match is quite important, I think, so I tried my best and I’m happy it worked.”
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‘I’m going to play against one of the greatest’
After years of being classed as the new generation, this tournament is another reminder that Medvedev is now one of the biggest threats on the ATP Tour and has proven he has what it takes to win grand slams.
Victory at the ATP Tour Finals in 2020 was seemingly the breakthrough moment for the Russian as he became the first player to defeat the world No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 on his way to winning the season-ending tournament.
Then came the 2021 US Open where he defied the odds to stop Novak Djokovic from winning a record 21st grand slam title of his career.
He now has the opportunity to stop another man from breaking the all-time men’s grand slam title record as Nadal looks to win his 21st.
“I’m going to play against one of the greatest and, what is funny, it’s someone going for the 21st slam,” Medvedev said as he bids to win his second consecutive grand slam title.
“I guess last time Rafa was watching [the US Open final] and I don’t know who he was cheering for. I think Novak will be watching in two days’ time also.
“I’m ready, I know that Rafa is a very strong player and I need to show my best to try and win this match.”