The odds are stacked against him, but that doesn’t faze Daniil Medvedev as the Russian ironman bids to pull off a superhuman Australian Open final triumph at Melbourne Park.
Medvedev squares off with red-hot Italian fourth seed Jannik Sinner in Sunday night’s title showdown needing to produce a Novak Djokovic-like physical and historical feat to finally get his hands on the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.
Runner-up to Djokovic in 2021 and to fellow tennis titan Rafael Nadal in 2022, Medvedev is contesting his third final on Rod Laver Arena and sixth grand slam decider in total. The 27-year-old’s only grand slam crown came with victory over Djokovic in the 2021 US Open final and he’s never faced anyone but the super Serb or Nadal in title matches at the majors.
Medvedev, though, knows full well it won’t get any easier against Sinner, who not only shattered Djokovic’s six-year, 33-match winning streak in the semi-finals on Friday but also slayed the world No.1 twice in a week last November to stamp himself as the form player on the planet.
Sinner has also taken down Medvedev in their past three meetings after losing the first six to the Muscovite. “He’s just playing better,” Medvedev said.
“There is nothing too much of a tactical change when he won the last three. He did a little more serve and volley, maybe a little more aggressive. “But that’s what he’s doing against everyone.
“The three matches, all of them were tough. Two tiebreaks and two three-setters. I had my chances.
“All of them were in the end of the season where I felt like I was not at my 100 per cent. Even if I was playing pretty good, but I was maybe at 97, 96 (per cent) and against him, you need to be at 100.
“He’s playing better than before, especially the end of the season he started playing whole different level.
“So if I want to beat him, I have to raise my level on a whole different level, and I will try to do it.” But it will take a Herculean effort to conquer Sinner.
Medvedev has spent an extraordinary 20 hours, 33 minutes on court en route to the final – almost six hours more than Sinner, who has dropped just one set.
Medvedev needed five sets in three of his wins, including an epic 5-7 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 comeback victory over Alexander Zverev in Friday’s semi that finished just before midnight.
To hoist trophy, the world No.3 would need to emulate – or better- Djokovic’s feat at the 2021 French Open of twice recovering from two sets down on the way to claiming a grand slam title in the 56-year era of professional tennis.
“Physical advantage, I probably don’t have. Tennis advantage, let’s see,” Medvedev said.
“But three last times he got me, so I hope that this (grand slam finals) experience can help me.
“Mentally, 100 per cent 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, because before I didn’t do anything like this to get to the final.
“So 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 per cent again.”
The laid-back Sinner is contesting his maiden grand slam final after years of being hyped as men’s tennis’s next big thing.
“Especially the end of last year gave me confidence that I could potentially do some good results in grand slams,” the 22-year-old said.
“But you still have to show it. There are people who talk a lot.
“But if it’s not this year, it’s next year, and then if it’s not next year, it’s the next year again.
“I’m really relaxed, to be honest. I just try to work as hard as possible and in my mind I feel like the hard work always pays off in one way, and we are working really hard for our dreams.”