Daniil Medvedev's self-awareness is what sets him apart, feels tennis journalist
The way Daniil Medvedev handled his recent controversy with Alexander Zverev has impressed tennis journalist Blair Henley, who said that the Russian player was self-aware, unlike others on the ATP tour.
Medvedev and Zverev traded barbs after their intense third-round clash at the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier this month. The former World No. 1 saved a couple of match points to defeat the German 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7) and extend his head-to-head lead to 8-6 against Zverev.
Referring to the bathroom break that Medvedev took during the third set, Zverev later questioned his opponent's sportsmanship, calling him, "one of the most unfair players in the world." In response, the 2021 US Open champion described the situation of the match at the time of his toilet break and asked the 2020 Olympic gold medalist to look in the mirror as far as fair play was concerned.
Speaking on the 'Courtside: The US Open Podcast' recently, Henley recalled the entire feud and suggested that she liked Daniil Medvedev's response.
"To me, what makes him different from others is that he's self-aware," Henley said. "That is when he was breaking down what Zverev said about him, which is that he's one of the most unsportsmanlike players on the tour. Medvedev was asked to respond to that in press and he went point by point. If you haven't seen the clip, you should go and find it.'I'm not going to do justice to it."
Henley also recalled the 2021 Cincinnati Masters semifinal against Andrey Rublev when Medvedev collided with a courtside camera during a rally and then kicked it in anger. The journalist praised the new World No. 3 for always admitting his mistakes.
"I watched him kick a multi-thousand dollar on-court camera in Cincinnati. That was a disastrous moment. He has had his moments that you can objectively say, 'That's not cool'. He realizes and acknowledges that he's had those moments and then he will pick you apart after acknowledging that he himself is not perfect," she added.
Daniil Medvedev to play in Zhuhai as tennis returns to China
Daniil Medvedev will lead the field at the 2023 Zhuhai Championships in September. This will mark the return of the ATP tour to China for the first time since 2019 as the outbreak of COVID-19 forced the tennis bodies to cancel tournaments in the country.
The second edition of the ATP 250 event will be played from September 20 to 26. Australia's Alex de Minaur won the inaugural edition four years ago. In a press release, Medvedev expressed his excitement at returning to China after a long time.
“I’m really looking forward to coming back to China and playing at the Hengqin International Tennis Center,” Daniil Medvedev said. “I can't wait to see the city and the stadium, both of which I have heard a lot of good things about. It will be great to play again in front of the Chinese fans again after three years away. I’m looking forward to seeing you all in September."
The WTA tour is also set to return to China this year. All activities were suspended in December 2021 when Peng Shuai went missing after accusing a politician of sexual assault.