National Post (National Edition)
`All the pressure' on Djokovic
That's the way Medvedev says he sees Aussie final
MELBOURNE • After giving Stefanos Tsitsipas a semifinal bruising on Friday, Daniil Medvedev fired a mental barb at Novak Djokovic ahead of their Australian Open decider, declaring the pressure was all on the Serbian champion’s shoulders.
The relentless Russian will contest his first final at Melbourne Park on Sunday and look to claim his maiden Grand Slam title after beating Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 at a floodlit Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
Djokovic will bid for a record-extending ninth Australian Open title and 18th Grand Slam crown in total to draw closer to the all-time record of 20, jointly held by Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
Yet Medvedev has now won 20 successive matches and 12 against top 10 opponents, including beating Djokovic on the way to winning the ATP Finals.
“First of all, I like that I don’t have a lot of pressure because he never lost in eight times he was here in the finals,” Medvedev said.
“It’s he who has all the pressure, you know, getting to Roger, Rafa and the Grand Slams (record).
“So I just hope that I’m going to get out there, show my best tennis.
“As we see, I can win (against) some big names if I play good. That’s the main part. (Djokovic) has, for sure, more experience but more things to lose as well.”
Before Medvedev’s semifinal, Djokovic told Eurosport “the new generation” of players had a lot of work to do and he would not “hand it over” to them.
Medvedev responded: “When Novak says he’s not going to hand anything to somebody, I believe him.
“So I know that to beat him you need to just show your best tennis.”
Djokovic also praised Medvedev as the “man to beat” in Melbourne and for two brilliant sets, the Russian lived up to the billing.
He was a break up in the third before a wobble on serve brought Tsitsipas and an army of Greek fans back into the game.
Yet he broke Tsitsipas again and served out the match with authority. The 25-year-old Muscovite famously riled the crowd at the 2019 U.S. Open before winning them over in a brave five-set loss to Nadal in the final.
However, he admitted he was thrown by the baying crowd on Friday after playing in empty stadiums for matches during the fiveday lockdown in Melbourne.
“I got a little bit tight, not because of the score at all but more because of the crowd ... When you’re used to playing with a crowd, it’s one thing,” said Medvedev. “Here it did get into my head. I’m happy that I managed to change my focus and change the momentum at the end of the third set.”
In the women’s final scheduled for early Saturday, Japanese third seed Naomi Osaka was set to play No. 22 American Jennifer Brady.
MERTENS, SABALENKA TOP WOMEN'S DOUBLES
Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka beat Czech pair Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-3 to win the Australian Open women’s doubles title on Friday for their second Grand Slam trophy together.
Seeded second at Melbourne Park, the pair won their maiden major at the 2019 U.S. Open and the victory at the Rod Laver Arena was their fifth title overall.
However, they will not be teaming up at Grand Slam events for the rest of 2021 as Sabalenka wants to focus on singles.
“I’m just trying to put my whole focus on singles,” Sabalenka told reporters, adding that the pair will be playing WTA events in Dubai and Miami next.
“I know that doubles, it’s not that hard, you’re not moving that much than on singles.
“It still takes a lot of energy. I just want to save it for singles,” added Sabalenka, who is ranked No. 7 in the world in singles.
Belgian Mertens, ranked 16th in singles, and Sabalenka of Belarus exited the Australian Open women’s singles draw in the fourth round.
In Friday’s doubles final, the pair wasted three championship points before Sabalenka set up a fourth with an ace and they wrapped up the match when Siniakova sent a backhand wide.
They celebrated with their signature leap together while holding the trophy. “We had a tough draw actually in doubles, so we’re really happy that we pulled through,” said Mertens. “Some days ... like today, we just kept on fighting.”