"Daniil Medvedev promises to kiss you on the lips if he wins Australian Open"- John McEnroe pulls coach Gilles Cervara's leg after his ward enters SF
Daniil Medvedev reached his third Australian Open semifinal on Wednesday (January 24), downing Hubert Hurkacz in a tight five-setter in the quarterfinals on Rod Laver Arena. The Russian celebrated the win in unique fashion, blowing kisses at his player's box, where his head coach Gilles Cervara was cheering him on.
Medvedev looked primed to take the contest in four sets, being up a break in the fourth set. Hurkacz, however, fought back to push the match to a deciding set.
The former World No. 1 managed to hold on to the break he earned at 3-3 in the fifth to seal the clash 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
At his on-court interview afterwards, seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe asked Medvedev to show some love to his coach, joking that he deserved it for the flak he gets from his ward during matches.
"Will you give a little love to your [coach], coz sometimes he takes a lot of flak in the coaching box. Give a little love, he's been with you a long time, for Gilles Cervara your coach. He has done a great job for you. He deserves some kudos," McEnroe said.
Daniil Medvedev referred to the kisses he blew in Cervara's direction after sealing the match, joking that this was the first time in his life that he had sent kisses his coach's way. The 2021 US Open champion then turned serious, stating that he loved working with the Frenchman, and asked for the crowd to add to that with some cheers.
"I give it after the match. I send him kisses. Probably the first time in my life I did it, so I don't know if I am going to do it again but look, he knows how much I love working with him, otherwise we would not be together. I hope he loves working with me too. I will ask you guys to give all my team love, they've been doing great work," Daniil Medvedev replied.
John McEnroe then put a spin on Medvedev's words, jokingly saying to Gilles Cervara:
"Daniil Medvedev promises to kiss you on the lips if he wins the Australian Open."
Daniil Medvedev to take on Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev in Australian Open SF
Following his win over Hubert Hurkacz, Daniil Medvedev will take on Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open. Alcaraz and Zverev will play each other later on Wednesday in the final match of the night session.
Meanwhile, the other semifinal on Friday (January 26) will be contested between top seed Novak Djokovic and fourth seed Jannik Sinner. Djokovic is the defending champion and 10-time winner at the tournament, while Sinner will be hoping to reach his first Major final.