‘WE WON’T GO TO DINNER TOGETHER’
THIS grudge match makes Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic look like best mates.
Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and Russian rival Daniil Medvedev will walk on to Rod Laver Arena for their Australian Open semi-final on Friday night with a colourful history dating back almost three years.
The scene is the 2018 Miami Open, the first ATP meeting between the rising stars. Medvedev took exception to Tsitsipas not apologising to him after benefiting from a net cord during a rally – even though it wasn’t the last shot – as well as the Greek taking a mid-match toilet break.
Tempers flared when they shook hands at the net following Medvedev’s 2-6 6-4 6-2 victory.
Tsitsipas: “Know place. Bull---- Russian.”
Medvedev: “Man, you better shut your f--- up, OK?”
(Chair umpire interjects, but Medvedev starts walking towards Tsitsipas’s chair.)
Medvedev: “Hey Stefanos, do you want to look at me and talk? You go emergency toilet for five minutes during and then you hit let and you don’t say sorry. You think you are a good kid? Look at me. Hey, look at me. You your don’t look at me? (Tsitsipas trudges off court and Medvedev continues the conversation with the chair umpire.)
Medvedev: “He started it. He said ‘Bull---- Russian’. Do you think this is normal? I answer him, because he doesn’t know how to fight. He’s a small kid who doesn’t know how to fight.”
Making matters more fascinating is that Tsitsipas’s mother, Julia Apostoli, is Russian and is friends with Medvedev’s mother, Olga Medvedeva.
The feud has kept on giving, with both players taking potshots at each another.
After beating Tsitsipas in Basel, Medvedev posted this on Instagram: “Oops, I did it again.”
Medvedev, who leads the head-to-head 5-1, even revealed Tsitsipas “blocked” the Russian on Instagram.
A fifth loss to the Russian saw Tsitsipas label Medvedev’s playing style boring.
Tsitsipas brought up the “boring” remark after his five-set upset of Rafael Nadal on Wednesday night, saying he didn’t mean it and that Medvedev was “extremely smart and outplays you”.
However, after Tsitsipas finally exacted revenge at the 2019 ATP Finals, he was asked to discuss his testy relationship with Medvedev.
“Our chemistry definitely isn’t the best that you can find on the tour. It just happens with people that it’s not that you can just like everyone,” Tsitsipas said.
“It’s not that I hate him. I guess, as he said, we will not go to dinner together.
“I respect him, for sure. That’s because he had a long way to come where he is right now.
“He’s a grand slam finalist, so that takes a lot of respect from me to him.”
The next chapter starts at 7.30pm on Friday.