Furious Medvedev: Why don’t I play on the centre of the court? What more can I do? He’s also upset about the shortened break

Daniil Medvedev is the favourite to win the Australian Open after Novak Djokovic’s deportation. The second-ranked tennis player in the ATP rankings advanced comfortably to the quarterfinals, but he is definitely not at ease. Several things are driving him crazy.

Medvedev first defeated Laaksonen 3-0, then went on to beat the boisterous Kyrgios 3-1. He then went on to knock out Van De Zandschulp 3-0, and in the quarter-finals he took out Cressy 3-1.

As the second ranked tennis player and winner of the last Grand Slam (US Open), he is the biggest favourite to win the Australian Open. His biggest opponent will probably be Rafael Nadal, but he is in the second part of the pavilion and would only face him in the final.

Everything is going well, but the Russian tennis player is definitely not happy. And at the Australian Open, he is already complaining about several things that are driving him crazy. It started during his duel with Kyrgios, when fans celebrated the home favourite’s shots with the “Siiiiuuu” cry made famous by footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

Medvedev, however, did not know what was going on and thought the fans were booing him. “Why are you booing me? I make a double fault and the whole arena boos. I don’t get it,” the Russian tennis player was angry after his match with Kyrgios. The reporter explained what was going on afterwards.

The 25-year-old tennis player poured out more anger after advancing to the quarterfinals. “I was already angry before the match and because of several things,” Reuters quoted Medvedev as saying. He had to face Maxime Cressy on a “bigger” court at the Margaret Court Arena. On the main court at Rod Laver Arena, the duel between Simona Halep and Aliza Cornet took precedence.

“First of all,I have no idea what more I should do to play on the centre courts. I won the last Grand Slam, I’m the highest seeded player…” medvedev fumed.

“And secondly, playing against Maxim in Rod Laver Arena would be easier. There’s more room. Matches against an opponent who plays service-net style are more difficult on smaller courts,” the Russian tennis player is convinced.

He tried the atmosphere of Rod Laver Arena twice. First against Laaksonen, then against Kyrgios. He faced Van De Zandschulp and Cressey at the Margaret Court Arena.

Another thing that drives Medvedev crazy is the abbreviated bathroom breaks. This is because under the newly revised rule, players only have three minutes to go to the toilet, if they want to change they get another two minutes.

“When it’s thirty-five degrees, it’s clear to everyone that after two sets I’m going to be all sweaty and want to change. Shorts, underwear, socks, shoes and you need four minutes to do all that. And I had to pee from the first set. I don’t see the logic in that at all. I think thenew rules are stupid,” Medvedev complained.

Source: Reuters, Australian Open