It was a heartbreaking loss for Hurkacz, who seemed to be the dominant player for most of the encounter. But the Pole showed great sportsmanship after the match by hugging Medvedev warmly at the net, a gesture that the Russian highlighted during his presser.
Medvedev showed immense resilience on Friday despite being outplayed in the first half of the match. He trailed 2-6, 2-3, 15-40 at one point, and even faced a couple of break points in the deciding set.
But with the help of 38 winners, including a mammoth 23 aces, the top seed clawed his way back to clinch an unlikely victory.
Speaking to the media after his win, Medvedev heaped rich praise on Hurkacz for his graciousness in defeat. Citing the close nature of the match, the Russian remarked that he would not have been as sporting as the Pole if he had lost in such a manner.
Daniil Medvedev likened the match to his clash against Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon, which took place a few weeks ago. On that day the Russian was arguably the better player and he even led two sets to one, but eventually ended up on the losing side.
Medvedev proceeded to point out the closeness of Friday’s quarterfinal clash, claiming that it’s almost a 50-50 coin toss in such cases.
“Like everybody, I feel tight on important points” - Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev adopted an unusually aggressive approach during the final set tiebreak. The Russian charged the net at arguably the most crucial stage of the encounter, which gave him a match point.
When asked if he is consciously becoming more aggressive during important points, Medvedev responded that he decides his approach based on the situation and the opponent.
According to the 25-year-old, Hurkacz might have dictated the point if he had sat back behind the baseline, which is why he believes he had to be proactive.
Medvedev went on to explain why it is important to maintain your composure in big moments, pointing out how stress often makes you act rashly.
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