Daniil Medvedev has the opportunity to fulfil an emotional promise to his wife Daria and his daughter Alisa when he faces Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon. The Russian has been drawn to face the No 1 seed at SW19 following his walkover victory over Grigor Dimitrov, who had to retire before the end of the first set.
An ominous quarter-final clash against the Italian now awaits the Russian, who reached the semi-final at SW19 last year, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. As well as the desire to make up for his disappointing showing against the Spaniard, Medvedev also has another source of motivation for his clash against the Australian Open winner.
At the start of the year, Medvedev thought he was about to win his first Australian Open final when he won the first two sets 6-3. But Sinner came roaring back, winning the next three sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to lift the Grand Slam Down Under. In his post-match speech, Medvedev promised his young family that he would avenge his third Australian Open final defeat and win a slam the next time he’s in a final.
Medvedev said: “I don’t know if they turned off the TV, but Dasha, Alisa, if you’re watching, it felt like you were there with me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it today. But I’m gonna try to make it work next time for you.
Much has changed since Medvedev and Sinner’s dramatic meeting in Australia. At the time, Medvedev was the higher-ranked player as the No 3 seed, while Sinner was the No 4.
At SW19, Sinner came into the competition as the No 1 seed, while Medvedev is two places lower at No 5. Nevertheless, the Russian was coy about the prospect of facing Sinner, who became the No 1 player on the planet on June 10.
After his walkover victory, Medvedev said: “I think, if I’m not mistaken, that statistically I usually play better against World No. 1s. Let’s see if it helps me against Jannik. His serve wasn’t as good before.
Small details make a big difference in tennis. It’s definitely harder to play against him now than before. Again, as I said, the matches were close. I had my chances. I’ll try to take better advantage of them this time.
We haven’t talked yet. But we practiced with Jannik here before the tournament. It was a great set. Look, the funny thing is that I lost five times. But if I remember correctly, four were very close. Then in Miami, he won easily, but I think I wasn’t far off, but he did a great job winning five times in a row.
“The first time we play on grass, I’ll definitely try to do something new . I hope to play well, the serve is important on grass. Either way, the more you serve, the better you feel.”
Sinner overcame the young United States talent Ben Shelton on Court No 1 in ruthless fashion, dismantling the 21-year-old 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (11-9) to reach the last eight and set up another clash with Medvedev. The Italian has beaten Medvedev in their last five meetings but it is the Russian who comes out on top in their head-to-head record with six wins, albeit that his last one came back in 2023.
