Daniil Medvedev appears to thaw his war with Alexander Zverev after ATP Finals battle
Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev appeared to be sworn enemies after some bitter battles on and off the court, but the duo diluted their animosity at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Medvedev reached the semi-finals of the end-of-year championship for a third time with a 7-6(7) 6-4 win, on a night when Zverev blew his chances to take control of the match after missing big opportunities.
The 18th ATP meeting between the pair was a tight encounter as Medvedev came from behind in a first-set tie-breaker to snatch victory before edging ahead in the second to secure his spot in the final four with a 7-6(7) 6-4 success.
The stakes were already high as both players entered the clash with one win under their belts already in the Red Group. Zverev had beaten Carlos Alcaraz and Medvedev got the better of Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
A thrilling start to the opening set saw Medvedev break in the first game before clinching the second, but Zverev held his serve to pull one back in the third and managed to break in the sixth to tie 3-3.
The score went back-and-forth before Medvedev held in the 12th to force a tie-breaker and the drama continued as the world number three came from 1-4 down to save two set points, going on to win 7-6(7).
Aiming to continue the momentum in the second, he took the opening game before Zverev served up two aces to tie and both players held serve in another tightly-contested set.
The set looked destined to boil down to another tie-break as Medvedev held in the ninth but managed to break in the following game to earn his spot in the semi-finals.
All eyes were on the handshake between these two rivals at the end of the match, with the former friends falling out in recent years amid claims that Zverev’s off-court activities have impacted their relationship.
The pair clashed at the Monte Carlos Masters earlier this year, as Zverev accused Medvedev of being a bad sportsman doing a tense battle and Russian responded with these feisty comments.
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“When he loses, we can find maybe 25 interviews of him where he does say some strange things,” said Medvedev after that match.
“So I had let’s call it a fight with him in ATP Cup, honestly, I’m at fault, and probably he still like doesn’t like me the way maybe he liked me before this match.
“When he says someone is not fair play, you’re like, ‘Okay, great. Look at yourself in the mirror’. That’s how I see it.”
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The duo appeared to be on more cordial terms after this latest meeting, as they shared what appeared to be a friendly exchange at the net.
“It was a very tough match mentally,” said Medvedev. “I started very well, I was playing well.
“He was kind of not there yet, but at one moment he stepped up his game and at this moment, for whatever reason, I started playing a little bit worse for a short period of time.
“I’m happy that I managed to regroup and play better at the end of the first set. The end of both sets was very tight… In the tie-break he had set point on his serve. I’m happy because this year I might have lost some matches like this. I’m happy to be able to win.”
Medvedev will now take on Alcaraz in his final group match, with his place in the last four already secure.
“I saw his match today against Andrey and he played much better than in the first match,” Medvedev said of Alcaraz.
“He was missing less, doing amazing winners from far out as he can. I hope that I feel good tomorrow and I’m ready to fight. This tournament is tricky, because I’m into the semis, but you want to keep the rhythm.”
