Daniil Medvedev has clapped back at Alexander Zverev after the German accused the Russian of being ‘one of the most unfair players in the world’, at the end of their Monte Carlo match.
The former world #1 secured a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7) win against Zverev in their R3 match at the Monte Carlo Masters after defending two match points.
However, during the cold handshake between the two at the nets, it was apparent that Zverev didn’t feel good in the company of the skinny Russian and later explained that he was ‘distracted’ by a toilet break taken by his opponent during the third set.
Criticizing the Russian’s act, the Olympic champion from Germany called out his rival’s actions as ‘unsporting’. Medvedev who is currently world no.5, has now responded to the claims of Zverev:
“First, I do think that honestly with probably 90 players on tour I’m great friends. With maybe 50 it’s not like best friends but really great relationship. So I usually feel bad when something on court happens and let’s say I’m not fair play, because I know sometimes I’m not.”
Medvedev continued, “Yesterday what the thing with the stick made him say this? Toilet [break], well I wanted to pee. And let’s take it step by step. So 2-2. No, 3-2 I have like five break points or whatever. He manages to hold. Congrats.”
“Then I make the game 40-love for me. I go to the toilet, I lose next two games, he’s serving for the match, and he’s saying I’m going to the toilet to make him play worse.”
Belittling his opponent’s complain, Medvedev said that Zverev did not reserves the right to be speaking about being sporting, after serving an eight week ban last year for aggressively hitting the umpire’s chair at Mexican Open in Acapulco.
“Sascha [Zverev] is living in his own world,” said the 2021 US Open champion. “I already had like five players in the locker room coming to me and saying ‘come on, Daniil, why are you so unfair (smiling)?’”
“Sascha when he loses we can find maybe 25 interviews of him where he does say some strange things. Again, honestly saying like if guys like Casper [Ruud], I don’t know, Andrey [Rublev], maybe Karen [Khachanov], even Diego [Schwartzman].”
“I had let’s call it a fight with him [Schwartzman] at the ATP Cup [in 2020]. Honestly, I’m at fault and probably he still doesn’t like me the way maybe he liked me before this match. I’m sorry that a guy like Diego, who’s so kind and so fair play, feels like this about me.”
Medvedev added, “Sascha is not this guy. Sascha is not like Casper, he’s not like Diego, he’s not like Andrey. When he says someone is not fair play, you’re like, okay, great. Look at yourself in the mirror.”
Alexander Zverev vs Daniil Medvedev Head-to-Head
With the beginning of the beef between the two, it will be interesting to see how this affects their head-to-head.
Here is their head-to-head so far:
Alexander Zverev vs. Daniil Medvedev: 6-8