Daniil Medvedev reacted to his defeat in the opening match of the season, and blamed the arena for it.
Medvedev suffered a shock loss to France’s Ugo Humbert on Sunday at the ATP Cup. This put a dent into his preparations for the upcoming Australian Open.
The US Open champion is the leader of a Russian team ravaged by injuries and COVID-19. They face the task of defending the title that they won against Italy last year, which will be an uphill battle for them.
In the middle of these issues, Medvedev reacted to his defeat in the opening match of the season and gave his thoughts on it.
“It’s just torture. It’s so hot and humid in there, it’s unbelievable,” he said, as quoted by Fox Sports Australia.
“I think the last time I felt like this was in Tokyo, during the Olympic Games. Big congrats to Ugo, because he seemed fresh.
“(But) no air, nothing to breathe, super humid, sweating. I think I changed four or five T-shirts. I mean, it was really tough.”
Well there’s a curveball result to start #2 Daniil Medvedev’s season:
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 2, 2022
pic.twitter.com/P3qbZyDT4Y
L’excellence
Humbert was a set down to Medvedev but rallied back and took the next two to complete a stunning comeback. The upset win’s scoreline read 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) after a 2hr 55min battle.
“It was very tough today, but I’m very happy,” the Frenchman said after his monumental win.
“I had some opportunities in the first set, and I just tried to stay relaxed, stay focused on what I had to do and it was a great match.”
Russia’s Roman Safiullin, who is the team’s second singles player for the tournament beat France’s Arthur Rinderknech 2-6, 7-5, 6-3. The win has opened the floor for Medvedev, who could be the top seed at the tournament if World No. 1 Novak Djokovic does not participate.
Read more: Daniil Medvedev explains why his style is unconventional and similar to Iga Swiatek