"Maybe they turned off the TV... I felt you were with me" - Daniil Medvedev sends heartfelt message to wife & daughter after Australian Open final
An emotional Daniil Medvedev sent out a heartfelt message to his family after going down fighting in the final of the 2024 Australian Open.
Medvedev, who won the first couple of sets in style on Sunday, failed to keep up the winning momentum against a resilient Jannik Sinner at the Rod Laver Arena. The Italian ultimately triumphed 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to win his maiden Grand Slam title after almost four hours of play.
During his post-match speech, the Russian stressed that he felt as if his wife Daria and baby daughter Alisa, who were watching him from home on TV, were with him on the court. He also jokingly added that they might have turned off the television while he was losing, and promised to make amends next time around.
"I don't know, maybe they turned off the TV, but Dasha and Alisa if you're watching, I felt like you were there with me and unfortunately I couldn't make it today but I'm gonna try to make it work next time for you. And just everyone because I got a lot of support from my friends, from fans all over the world, from you guys," he said.
Daniil Medvedev also thanked his team for supporting him through the days and the nights during the Melbourne Major, where he set a record for spending the maximum time on court during a Grand Slam tournament.
The 2021 US Open champion played two five-setters against Hubert Hurkacz and Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, as well as one against Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round.
"Then I want to thank my team, especially for sure Gilles [Cervara], Eric [Hernandez], and [Pablo Garcia] Gaitan, who are here supporting me every day and every night because there were a lot of nights," said Medvedev, who was on court for 24 hours and 17 minutes over the last 15 days.
"Oliver [van Lindonk, agent] and everyone else who supported me from this corner. I heard you every match. So thanks a lot," he added.
Daniil Medvedev goes down to Jannik Sinner after an explosive start at Melbourne
Daniil Medvedev drew first blood by breaking Jannik Sinner's serve to go 2-1 up in the opening set of the 2024 Australian Open men's singles final. From there, he consolidated the break to take the set 6-3 against a very nervy Sinner.
Despite a late fightback, Jannik Sinner was unable to force a turnaround in the second set, going down 3-6. However, he ensured that the contest was more even in the third, with several Italian flags being waved at the Rod Laver Arena in support of the youngster.
A much-needed break of serve finally came Sinner's way at the end of the set, which enabled the World No. 4 to force a fourth set. A keenly contested fourth set witnessed both players commit an array of unforced errors, but it was Jannik Sinner who manufactured a massive break of serve to force a decider at Melbourne Park.
Striking the ball with power and precision, Jannik Sinner surged to a 4-2 lead in the decider, quickly clinching it 6-3 after that to hand the Russian a heartbreaking loss on the night.