"Not the best from Jannik Sinner" - Daniil Medvedev opens up on his and Italian's struggles during US Open 2024 QF encounter
Daniil Medvedev recently said that neither he nor Jannik Sinner played their "best" during their quarterfinal match at the 2024 US Open. His remarks came after losing to the Italian in four sets on September 5.
Medvedev and Sinner were both vying for their second Grand Slam title at the 2024 US Open, with the Russian being a former champion in New York. Both looked poised, especially after the surprising early exits of Carlos Alcaraz in the second round and Novak Djokovic in the third.
The duo fought hard at Arthur Ashe Stadium, but Sinner used a diverse range of tactics to claim a 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory in two hours and 39 minutes. It allowed him to improve on his 2022 quarterfinal finish at Flushing Meadows and narrow his ATP head-to-head record with Medvedev to 6-7.
Daniil Medvedev, disappointed with his performance, voiced his frustrations during a post-match press conference. He explained that the first set was "horrible" for him and even "worse" than the third, saying:
"The first set was horrible for me. I think almost even probably worse than the third one. I managed to solve a lot of problems in the second set. Played better. Same in the fourth set, like I managed to start solving some problems that I had in the third set. So that's like the positive things. The negative one is that finally I didn't solve them till then."
The former World No. 1 then claimed that both he and Sinner did not play their "best" but acknowledged that his opponent was "better" on the day.
"I don't know why exactly, but not the best match from my side. I actually think not the best from his also, a little bit missing here and there. But he won, so yeah, he was better," Daniil Medvedev said.
With Daniil Medvedev's QF exit, US Open 2024 is guaranteed to have a new champion
Daniil Medvedev’s exit from the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open guaranteed that the tournament will have a new champion. He won the title at Flushing Meadows in 2021, defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
The men’s singles fixtures this year feature Jannik Sinner facing rising British star Jack Draper and an All-American showdown between Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe. Among them, only Sinner is a Grand Slam winner, having won the Australian Open earlier this year.
This means a new champion will be crowned in New York on September 8, with one American male confirmed to reach a Major final for the first time since Andy Roddick in 2009 (Wimbledon).