There will definitely be a tennis player from Russia in the semi-finals of the US Open, but who exactly is Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev will decide among themselves. Danya looks like a favorite, however, Pndreya also has experience of victories over a star compatriot.

The Masters 2021 in Cincinnati went well for Daniil Medvedev: he went through his opponents like a skating rink and confidently reached the semifinals. A step away from the main stage of the tournament, Andrei Rublev was waiting for Medvedev, who had never yet imposed a serious fight on him in the APR. It seemed that Daniel would add another victory in this personal confrontation to the piggy bank.

But all the plans of the favorite were broken by an unpleasant episode during the semi-final match. The athlete crashed into the camera at speed and almost got seriously injured.

The Russian threatened to sue the organizers of the tournament.

“It’s too risky”

Before the start of the semi-finals, the compatriots met on the court five times. And in every match, Medvedev dominated his opponent: Rublev never even won a set. Experts called the 25-year-old athlete an uncomfortable opponent for a younger Russian and predicted another victory for Daniil. And Andrei himself has repeatedly said that it is difficult for him to play against a friend. Before their next meeting, the fans did not expect a sensation and predicted Medvedev to reach the final.

Daniil Medvedev / Photo: © Amin Mohammad Jamali / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The tennis player did not let the experts down and in the first set he looked head and shoulders stronger than his opponent. It seemed that the sixth victory in a personal confrontation was only a matter of time. But after the break, Medvedev returned to the court and began to play as if the job had already been done. Rublev took advantage of this and began to gradually seize the initiative. Still, I could not believe that a more experienced tennis player would let go of this game. However, in the second set there was a curious episode that unsettled him.

The tennis player defended very deeply and at some point, trying to catch up with the ball, crashed into the camera at speed and dropped it onto the court. After the collision, Medvedev first inquired about the condition of the operator, and then, out of anger, kicked the equipment. The fans began to discuss how much the athlete would have to pay for damage to property, but the Russian did not care about the fines. Enraged, Medvedev began to complain to the judge: “I almost broke my arm. If I lose this match, I will sue you.”

The athlete claimed that due to the collision he could damage the ligaments of the left hand, so he demanded to call a physiotherapist to the court. At that moment, the tournament organizers must have been worried that Medvedev might actually sue them. Moreover, even before the incident, before one of the matches of the tournament, the tennis player spoke about this problem. Then they listened to the Russian and moved the camera closer to the stands.

Daniil Medvedev / Photo: © Matthew Stockman / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The fans were also angry and supported the athlete, pointing out obvious shortcomings in the organization of the tournament.

“I don’t understand why they don’t just install cameras in the stands. So isn’t it safer for the players and the operator? asks Philarete.

– There should not be such cameras on the court. It’s too risky, especially considering how many players are now moving around, says No-Perspective-51.

– I agree. If he wants to go all the way to South America to hit the pitch, he should be allowed to. Our technology has advanced far enough to remove these cameras from the court, as is done in other tournaments,” comments Morfed_emu.

“Like I graduated from university”

It is not known whether Medvedev received a serious injury, but an unpleasant episode affected his game. The athlete lost control of the meeting and looked worse than before the camera story. Rublev, on the contrary, took advantage of the opponent’s shock and again seized the initiative.

Medvedev interrupted the meeting several more times to call a physiotherapist. He ran out onto the court and massaged his injured arm. The constant dissatisfaction of the favorite led to the fact that the fans in the stands were tired of listening to his claims. And the fans began to support Rublev, chanting his name.

As a result, the younger Russian defeated Medvedev for the first time in his career – 2:6, 6:3, 6:3 – and reached the Masters final. After the match, Rublev told reporters that the victory over an uncomfortable opponent was very important for him.

Andrey Rublev / Photo: © Marco Canoniero / Contributor / LightRocket / Gettyimages.com

– Daniil usually plays from the opponent, usually he does not dictate the game. So I had to make him run, turning on the power at the right moments. So I tried to find the perfect moment to move it, to open the corners.

And now I beat him for the first time and it was like I graduated from the university. I received a diploma, – tennistv.com quotes Rublev.

Medvedev refused to talk to reporters after the match, but expressed his opinion about the game on the social network.

– It was necessary to say in the first or second round that it could be dangerous. Oh, wait… — Medvedev’s official ATP channel posted a comment on his social network.