2023 US Open SF: Alcaraz vs. Medvedev

[rafanoy1992]

Medvedev should walk onto the court on Sunday with every confidence. And Novak, should, too, but he'll have more doubts. Not just because Daniil beat him there last time they played in a final, but for all the finals he's lost there. With the window closing. As stressed as he looked late in the 3rd set today v. Shelton, I don't see the stress getting less.

And Djokovic knows that Medvedev is not Ruud, Tsitsipas, Zverev or Sinner on the other side of the net especially it will be a HC match.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Alcaraz at 20 years of age will have plenty more time for titles etc, hardest thing to do in tennis is to defend your GS title,
Meddy played a very smart match, and if he can show that in the final I believe he can win against Novak.
As I have said before I would rather a player having a harder SF and win then to just walk into a GS final and that is what Meddy has done.

Meddy defense is right there with Novak's and Carlos..when he wants to play I think LeMonf is at that let or higher

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Meddy defense is right there with Novak's and Carlos..when he wants to play I think LeMonf is at that let or higher

Well it is very hard to hit through Novak for starters, you have to find ways to break him, also with Meddy, you dont feed Meddy pace he just feeds of it

 

[rafanoy1992]

Like I have stated before, the reason I am happy in tonight's results is because on how Medvedev won the match. He took it to Alcaraz right from the start of the match. No unnecessary negative emotions from him, just straight up business mode right from the start.

That's the one thing that was missing in Medvedev since that 2022 AO Final loss. Yes, he was winning but at the same time, he always felt agitated or angry for some odd reason.

Tonight, he went straight lockdown mode!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Meddy is the firstl player to beat both Novak amd Alcaraz this year
Novak in Dubai in Match
Alcaraz at the SF at USO tonight

 

[rafanoy1992]

By the way, I would like to congratulate to Carlos Alcaraz for having an amazing Slam season! He did missed the AO due to injury, but he did great in the other three slams in 2023!

I definitely do not see tonight's loss as "bad" loss at all. In my opinion, Alcaraz did not play bad at all! He finally felt/saw on what peak Medvedev looks like on a fast HC. He was probably telling to himself, "Oh, I see now why both Djokovic and Nadal were very uncomfortable in playing against THIS version Medvedev on HC."

By the way, he is the youngest male player (20 years old) since Djokovic (2007) to reach Slams SFs in three different surfaces in the SAME year! It will be interesting to see if he can complete the SF set at 2024 AO.

 

[rafanoy1992]

By the way, Medvedev will try to be the first male player ever to beat Alcaraz and Djokovic at the same slam tournament.

Quick trivia for you guys: When was the last time a male player beat the number 1 AND number 2 player in the world en route to winning the slam tournament?

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

By the way, Medvedev will try to be the first male player ever to beat Alcaraz and Djokovic at the same slam tournament.

Quick trivia for you guys: When was the last time a male player beat the number 1 AND number 2 player in the world en route to winning the slam tournament?

It was Stan Wawrinka, and I think he had the last 2. He was the 8-seed when he won the 2014 Australian Open (#2 Novak Djokovic in the QF and #1 Rafa Nadal in the final) and 2015 French Open (#2 Roger Federer in the QF and #1 Novak Djokovic in the final).

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I have to take my computer for its much needed service

BTW My personal trainer and I had a bet at the start of the USO we put money on Meddy for the men and Sabalenka for the women, good odds
Anyway we have both in the final lol! Fronty will be proud

 

[nehmeth]

Medvedev should walk onto the court on Sunday with every confidence. And Novak, should, too, but he'll have more doubts. Not just because Daniil beat him there last time they played in a final, but for all the finals he's lost there. With the window closing. As stressed as he looked late in the 3rd set today v. Shelton, I don't see the stress getting less.

Fair points. From another perspective, I believe the stress on Novak’s face was due to his dip in concentration and not wanting the match to go longer than three sets. Having made it to the final, he’s going to put it all out there on the court, much as he did in Cinci. Having won 23 slams, he will be playing with house money. In the ATP finals last year, most guys would not have pushed themselves to win a match that didn’t count for them. But Novak did to beat Medvedev. After losing the second set in a tiebreak, he battled through to another tiebreak and won. Sunday’s match if Daniil is able to sustain this level will be tough and he may win, but it won’t be easy like it was in 2021.

 

[Moxie]

Fair points. From another perspective, I believe the stress on Novak’s face was due to his dip in concentration and not wanting the match to go longer than three sets.

Agreed he didn't want to go beyond 3 sets, but he was close to an easy 3-setter, but started to play poorly and really got tight, was my point.

Having made it to the final, he’s going to put it all out there on the court, much as he did in Cinci. Having won 23 slams, he will be playing with house money.

Of anyone, Novak isn't playing with "house money." He has everything to lose, and windows are closing. He's ambitious, and he wants all the records.

In the ATP finals last year, most guys would not have pushed themselves to win a match that didn’t count for them. But Novak did to beat Medvedev. After losing the second set in a tiebreak, he battled through to another tiebreak and won. Sunday’s match if Daniil is able to sustain this level will be tough and he may win, but it won’t be easy like it was in 2021.

ATP Finals isn't chopped liver, and Novak is a competitive guy. I absolutely don't think Sunday's final will be easy for either guy. But the pressure is on Novak.

 

[Kieran]

Like I have stated before, the reason I am happy in tonight's results is because on how Medvedev won the match. He took it to Alcaraz right from the start of the match. No unnecessary negative emotions from him, just straight up business mode right from the start.

That's the one thing that was missing in Medvedev since that 2022 AO Final loss. Yes, he was winning but at the same time, he always felt agitated or angry for some odd reason.

Tonight, he went straight lockdown mode!

I didn’t see the match but that’s a great results for Danii. He was written off, he’d lost a few to Carlos, and he must have shown great skill and grit to get the victory. I wouldn’t begrudge him.

For Carlos, it’s a great season and this is no catastrophe. Nobody since Federer in 2008 had defended this title, which is an epic stat. Carlos will take a lot from this, great players learn more from disappointment, but he shouldn’t be too disappointed. I’m sure he gave it all, and you can’t give more than that.

Should be a very interesting final, if Danii plays as well as he obviously did…

 

[rafanoy1992]

In my opinion, RG 2023 loss was “worse” than tonight. In that match, he was anxious and too excited for the 1st two sets which resulted in the full body cramps in Sets 3 & 4.

Tonight, Medvedev came up with the greats. In the 2nd and 4th sets, Alcaraz felt rushed or loss because Medvedev was getting EVERYTHING! Add in the fact that Medvedev can quickly hold serve when he is ON!

 

[rafanoy1992]

Quick fun fact: Daniil Medvedev became the 2nd player ever to beat Carlos Alcaraz on a HC AND Grass in his career.

What’s even more interesting is that Medvedev is the first player to beat Alcaraz in a HC slam AND Grass slam.

 

[Kieran]

Okay, I’m gonna sound like an old crank here but it’s becoming a pet peeve of mine when players gesture to the crowd after a point, telling them ‘look what I just done, people - praise me!’

Carlos does it after highlight reel points and it shows a little swagger, he’s like a strutting cock with his finger behind his ear - ‘I can’t hear you!’ - but it’s overdone now. Ben Shelton was doing it endlessly, Danii does it often, flapping his arms like a desperate chickens wings, ‘raise the volume for me, people, don’t you understand what you’re seeing!’

Leave the crowd alone. They know what they’re seeing. They’ll cheer when they want. I know the crowd respond to this shit too but watching the old Sampras videos that @Vince Evert put up elsewhere, I was reminded of how classy he was, no fuss no muss, no self-aggrandising, no neediness, no care in the world if the crowd loved him or hated him. He didn’t need their love. He’d win a big point, maybe fist pump, maybe not, then slouch across to start the next point, his tongue hanging loose.

Rafa was the same. Look at my profile pic. The crowd went wild but Rafa wasn’t fist pumping for the benefit of the crowd. He’s couldn’t care less it they were booing him. He was in his own world battling to win…

 

[Kieran]

In my opinion, RG 2023 loss was “worse” than tonight. In that match, he was anxious and too excited for the 1st two sets which resulted in the full body cramps in Sets 3 & 4.

Tonight, Medvedev came up with the greats. In the 2nd and 4th sets, Alcaraz felt rushed or loss because Medvedev was getting EVERYTHING! Add in the fact that Medvedev can quickly hold serve when he is ON!

That’s right. Paris was a great opportunity for him and he overdosed emotionally. Much more disappointing..

 

[rafanoy1992]

That’s right. Paris was a great opportunity for him and he overdosed emotionally. Much more disappointing..

And he even admitted after the match in the press conference.

 

[Kieran]

And he even admitted after the match in the press conference.

It was obvious at the time. He was playing poorly, yet he’d just taken the lead, then it happened. It was an opportunity lost, and a freebie for Novak…

 

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