Things have not always gone Daniil Medvedev’s way at Melbourne Park. Twice a losing finalist, the second time after leading Rafael Nadal by two sets to love, the Russian world No 3 can count himself unfortunate not to already have his name inscribed on the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup. Yet to judge by his dramatic five-set victory over Alexander Zverev in the first grand slam meeting of what has been a spiky 19-match rivalry, Medvedev’s luck may just be changing.
Perhaps that was the real reason the former US Open champion appeared to repeatedly mouth the word “Karma” to his team after the 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 victory that propelled him to a third Australian Open final in four years. Social media was afterwards rife with speculation that the 27-year-old was making an oblique reference to an episode of the Netflix series Break Point in which Zverev, angered by Medvedev’s antics during a narrow defeat in Monte Carlo last year, is shown responding gleefully to his Russian rival’s first-round loss at Roland Garros. Medvedev, however, was at pains to play down the suggestion that his post-match celebration was related to the episode.
“It was something related to my team, something about mentality,” said the world No 3. “So nothing to do with this. I would not be happy to do it this way.”
That Medvedev should have felt compelled to comment on events incidental to the match was in a sense ironic, given all the focus beforehand on Zverev’s contrasting reluctance to speak about the broader context to his campaign in Melbourne. Confirmation over the past fortnight that Zverev will stand trial in Berlin this May on domestic abuse charges has brought unrelenting scrutiny on the German, who denies the allegations and has bristled when questioned on the subject. Asked if it had affected his concentration as he advanced through the tournament, the 26-year-old was once again forthright in his response.
“No, because I have said it before: anyone who has a semi-decent IQ level understands what’s going on,” said Zverev. “I hope that most of you guys do. I’m fine with it.”
He was less fine with the stroke of good fortune Medvedev enjoyed at 5-5 in the fourth-set tiebreak. Attempting to slice back a return, Medvedev shanked it and inadvertently hit an unreachable drop shot. Zverev, who had double-faulted on the previous point, could only look on in dismay as his opponent then slammed down a 125mph ace to level the match.
“Just purely unlucky,” sighed Zverev, who played down the significance of an earlier pause in play caused by Medvedev’s request for a replay of a close line call while the German was serving for the set. Medvedev did not disagree with his rival’s analysis.
“Lucky, lucky,” said Medvedev, who will play Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final after the Italian earlier defeated Novak Djokovic, the defending champion. “The side was against the wind. I think I was tight, so I shanked it. Did I want to go, at least, short or no? I don’t even remember. Just tried to put it in, so I shanked it a little bit. It was not like a frame completely, but I didn’t play it with the centre.
“But the moment I saw it going, I was like there are two ways: either it touches the tape and stays on my side, or it just kind of rolls over on to his side. I was like, ‘Please, be the second one, I want to win.’ And it was the second one. Tough luck for him, for sure, in this point. Managed to make an ace after, but that’s what tennis is about.”
After Nadal’s Houdini act of two years ago, it was perhaps a slice of – luck, karma, call it what you will – that Medvedev had coming. Whatever it was, he made the most of it.
Zverev had earlier established a seemingly unassailable lead playing near-flawless tennis, just as he did to defeat Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round. The German’s determination to go forward at every available opportunity did not prevent him from becoming embroiled in some gruelling baseline exchanges, but it did help to terminate many of them. That was most notably the case at the end of the second set, where Zverev capped a 51-shot exchange with a superb backhand half-volley. A similar shot, this time off the forehand, gave him the platform to take a two-set lead.
Medvedev looked tired at that point, as well he might after coming back from two sets to love down to defeat Emil Ruusuvuori last week in a contest that raged until 3.40am. He was also taken to a decider by Hubert Hurkacz in the previous round but, having survived those travails, he was in no mood to squander the chance to contest a third final. In the fifth game of the decider, a stunning backhand pass brought up a break point; the anguish on Zverev’s face as he netted a plus-one forehand was plain.
“Mentally, 100%, I’m stronger than I was before this tournament, because now I know that I’m capable of some things maybe I thought I’m not,” said Medvedev. “Before [now] I didn’t do anything like this to get to the final. So mentally I’m stronger than before, and I’m happy about it.
“Probably, honestly, it’s better to be in the final winning three-set, four-set matches. That’s the better way physically. But it is what it is, and I’m proud and looking forward to the final to give my 100% again.”