A four-hour match at 30 degrees in the shade and then showing top performance until the last point. That has Daniil Medvedev in his 5-set win over Hubert Hurkacz completed. If he hadn’t worked on his fitness, Medvedev would have had to give up, as he revealed after the match.
by Johanna Brauer
last edited: January 24, 2024, 5:42 p.m
© Getty Images
The former US Open champion said he felt “destroyed” after winning his quarter-final match in Melbourne. No wonder, after the four-hour crime thriller. In terms of his fitness level, the Russian had to do a lot to be able to survive a match like this and admits that he will have to deal with it even more in the future than he already does. “I have no idea. The thing is that maybe I should look into it more, but we are already trying to use 100% of my capabilities with my team and I think we are succeeding in that,” Medvedev said during his press conference. “Maybe it’s a question of metabolism and genetics. I honestly have no idea. I know I get tired,” the former world number one added.
Medvedev: “I probably could have retired”
The Russian is still satisfied with his current fitness level because he has worked a lot on it and been able to improve: “When I played against Novak (Djokovic) in our first Davis Cup game, I think I started cramping when the score was 1-0 in the second set. I won the first one, I had a break to make it 1-0 and then I made it 3-0, but at 1-0 I already had cramps. Then I “I literally fell over on the pitch and gave up.” It remains to be seen whether the short break will be enough for him until the semi-final against Zverev. The meeting between the two top players will take place on Friday, January 25th, the exact time will be announced later.
“I’m trying my best. I would like to be someone who isn’t really tired and doesn’t mind the heat, but that’s not me. But I’m trying to win as best I can,” Medvedev concluded.
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Zverev Alexander Medvedev Daniil Hurkacz Hubert
2024-01-24 16:37:00
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