WTA legend Justine Henin has hailed Daniil Medvedev for being authentic and extraordinary man following his remarkable run at the 2024 Australian Open.
Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill also lauded the lanky Russian for being a “hell of a player and competitor” who holds a great tennis IQ. Medvedev once again had to bear a grueling 5-set loss at the Melbourne Park as he just fell short against the 22-year Italian by fine margins in the final of season-opening slam.
After leading his opponent by two sets to love, Medvedev gradually began to lose his grip on the match after giving up the third set as he broke the record for most time spent on a court at Grand Slam with a whopping 24 hour and 17 minutes amassed until the conclusion of final. His grueling run was marked with four 5-setters and 2 4-setters in a total of 7 matches. Holding a third runner-up shield on Rod Laver Arena, the 27-year-old has also become the first player to lost two major finals after compiling a 2-0 lead in sets.
Medvedev entered the final with a lot of mileage on him, as he also had to overcome Alexander Zverev in semis after being downed 0-2 in sets.
Former Belgian World No. 1 Henin showered praise on the stubborn Russian while observing that some of his lengthy matches were avoidable and ultimately cost him another major final.
“We can really talk about this chaotic start to the tournament. He dropped a set against [Nuno] Borges when he had a break in advance, he could have made his task easier against [Hubert] Hurkacz,” said 7-time Grand Slam singles champion while talking to Eurosport.
“Against [Emil] Ruusuvuori, he was down two sets to zero, he finished very late and he even came to answer our questions at 4 am. We are delighted, he is an extraordinary man, he plays the game, he wants to share, he is authentic, but these efforts on the right, on the left, are expensive.”
Sinner’s coach Cahill also was in awe of the physical exploits and toughness of the tenacious World No. 3.
“Daniil went to hell and back in this tournament. What he put himself through physically. I didn’t think he was going to beat Zverev, and he was able to come through that one,” said the Australian in a post-tournament presser.
“There’s been a couple of other matches where he was up against it, had his back against the wall, and he just continues to push himself and fights until the last point. Physically I can’t even imagine how he’s feeling. He must be hurting big-time.
“Again, I give him a ton of credit not just for the way he played today but mentally just fighting until the last point. That’s why he’s already a Grand Slam champion, that’s why he’s had many chances to win more Grand Slams, and that’s why he’s going to have many more chances.
“He’s a hell of a player, a hell of a competitor. As Jannik said in the after-match, we learn every time we step on to the court playing Daniil, because I think his tennis IQ is as good as anybody’s.
“Yeah, chess player. And he finds different ways to break opponents down. That’s where we have to keep problem-solving when we play him.”