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Daniil Medvedev lost his third consecutive match against Jannik Sinner, being eliminated from the 2023 ATP Finals. The Russian, one step away from the third final at the Masters Tournament, collapsed in the third and decisive set of the match and, in the clutch moments, seemed struggle against the excessive physical and technical power of the young rival.
Medvedev had won the first six matches against the Italian, but things changed starting from the final of the ATP 500 in Beijing. Sinner has in fact reached a new maturity in serving and managing pressure in decisive moments.
Medvedev was impressed by Sinner
In the press conference, Medvedev started from the argument he had with some spectators at the beginning of the third set. The Russian immediately wanted to stop the controversy and express sincere admiration towards the passion shown by the Italians this week.
"Nothing happened with the crowd, honestly. I lost my mind a little more after giving up the serve. I think the crowd has been really nice here in Turin all week. It's normal for them to cheer for Sinner, but I heard a lot of applause even when I hit good shots.
The energy was great on the court: this is why I thanked the crowd. I just lost my mind a little at that moment, there's not much to add," said the former world number one. "On this court, which is very fast, you have no respite and you always have to maintain your serve.
In the first set I think he was better than me. I am very proud of my performance in the second set. I played less, I was aggressive and I won the tie-break. In this court it is essential to be aggressive. Finally, in the third, the service disappointed me.
I didn't serve well enough and suffered two breaks: that's why the score says 1-6. I was tired, but I should have done better. The Medical Time Out? During the tie-break I felt a slight discomfort in my buttock, but it didn't bother me and I don't think it had any effect.
I'm happy with my season. I experienced some ups and downs, but it was a great season. I'm proud of myself, because before Rotterdam I had dropped out of the top 10. I felt terrible. Then everything went well. I will try to learn and do more next year, because Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner are playing better and better.
If you want to stay at the top, you have to continuously improve," he explained. Medvedev finally commented on Sinner's latest performances, talking about his future: "I was very impressed. He is playing very well now. He moves well, his serve has improved and he can hit nice shots at the net.
Right now he's riding the wave. Let's see what he will do in the final. If he continues to play like this, he will win Slams and become number 1. The question is: how long will he ride the wave? How well will he play in bad moments? This is tennis."