Medvedev refuses fold after third AO finals defeat

Three Australian Open losses from the past four editions is not enough to seriously impact Daniil Medvedev after the world No. 3 lost a 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 thriller to Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s Australian Open final.

Medvedev, 2021 US Open champion, has a success rate of one-in-six at Grand Slam finals but refuses to bow even after a cumulative 24 hours of match time over the Melbourne fortnight – seven more than Sinner..

He also held a two-sets-to-love lead in 2022’s title match only to have Rafael Nadal overhaul him for a five-set victory.

It was the same scenario pulled off by Sinner, but Medvedev is not overly discouraged.

“The scoreline is similar but I think the match was a bit different,” he said by way of instant analysis.

“I didn’t think much about the Rafa match, because I really tried to leave it behind – I don’t think it had any issues.”

He explained: “I didn’t feel like suddenly when I was two sets to love up I stopped playing; I didn’t really do bad mistakes. 

“He started to play better, a little bit different tactically.”

After playing four matches which went the full distance, Medvedev admitted his body is complaining.

“Five-setters are tough for the body. Yesterday at practice, I was like, ‘Damn, how I’m going to play the final, how I’m going to move.’

“We really worked hard with my physio, he made a tremendous job: every time when I stepped on court I was ready again.”

But he said the accumulated fatigue may have caught up with him against Sinner, a Grand Slam champion after his first final.

“After two sets, my energy level was dropping because I didn’t have a perfect sleep.”

Medvedev admitted he’s not relishing his flight back home to Monte Carlo – even on what will surely be a lie-flat bed on board.

“Tomorrow I’m taking a flight. But when I take flights, I don’t like it. 

“For my body, I don’t know what is it – the pressure in the cabin, the position you sit in or whatever – my body doesn’t like it. 

“Tomorrow the way I’m feeling right now, I’m going to be dead for a week.”