By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, February 1, 2024
Sometimes, painful loss provides powerful revelation for both athlete and audience.
Contesting his sixth major final, Daniil Medvedev put himself in position to win the Australian Open only to fall victim to a resilient Jannik Sinner and gnawing fatigue in a five-set final loss on Sunday.
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The 27-year-old Medvedev came within one set of becoming the first man in Open Era history to win four five-setters en route to a major title.
Instead, Medvedev makes ignominious history as the first man in Open Era history to lose two major finals from two sets to love up.
Hall of Famer Andy Roddick knows all about gut-wrenching final losses and says Medvedev's entire body of work makes him a Hall of Famer.
Simply put, the man nicknamed Meddy Bear is "a badass" writes Roddick in his Betway blog.
"We’re rightfully celebrating Sinner, but Medvedev is a badass. He has nothing to hang his head about and left everything in Melbourne," Roddick wrote in his Betway blog. "It doesn’t really matter how great your fitness level is – that cumulative effect of time on court is eventually going to add up.
"His superpower is playing extended rallies and asking the question over and over: ‘Can you punch me out over time?’ He plays the most effective version of tennis that he’s capable of and it has gotten some amazing results."
Consider Medvedev dropped to 1-5 in Grand Slam finals, but four of those defeats came against Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic and King of Clay Rafael Nadal, who famously broke the Russian's heart—and blew tennis minds— in the 2022 AO final.
Unleashing the warrior within, Nadal delivered the comeback of his career battling by Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 to 21st Grand Slam title in an epic and astounding Australian Open final.
Hall of Famer Roddick says Medvedev, who leads the ATP in victories since the start of 2023, is a sure fire Hall of Famer.
"This is his sixth major final now and I don’t feel like we give him enough credit," Roddick wrote. "I’ve never left a final watching Medvedev and thought he’s blown it or given it away. He makes someone earn it every single time. He’s played Rafa twice, Novak twice and an in-form Sinner. It’s just the way it goes. I lost four finals and won one. Sometimes you just come up against someone better on the day.
We’re acting like this one’s going to be the thing that breaks him, but he’s done it before and has come back extraordinarily. I’m not worried about him showing up and being at the business end of every hardcourt Slam over the next couple of years and, personally, I’d love to see him win another one. He has beaten all the best players on the biggest stages and is no doubt a Hall of Famer in his own right."
Photo credit: Matthew Calvis