- Tennis stars Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev have a tough beef to sort out
- It all started when Zverev termed Medvedev an unfair player during their three-hour match in Monte Carlo
- Their third-round encounter at the Monte Carlo was fascinating with Medvedev winning
Frosty relationships are not new to sports and this time around, tennis stars Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev have a tough beef to sort out.
It all started when Zverev termed Medvedev an unfair player during their three-hour match at Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday.
Their third-round encounter at the Monte Carlo was fascinating with Medvedev surviving two match points in his three-set victory. He won 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9-7).
Medvedev engaged in his customary theatrics while being jeered by spectators. He once removed one of the net poles, and he also took a bathroom break halfway through the decisive set.
The Russian who won the 2021 US Open angered Zverev who could no longer keep his reservations to himself.
Their handshake after the match at the net was chilly and the German player did not hold back from calling Medvedev out at the post-match conference.
“He is one of the most unfair players we have in the world. He tries to do everything when he’s behind. He did it in Indian Wells, he did it here. I take fairness and sportsmanship very, very seriously and unfortunately he has none of that,” Zverev retorted according to Sky Sports Germany.
Alexander Zverev. Photo/Tennis uptodate
Zverev said he always enjoys playing against Medvedev but his style of play in Monte Carlo changed.
He lauded tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for valuing fairness in all the years they played together.
The German tennis player said this is one of the reasons why Federer and Nadal made history in their respective tennis careers.
“The rivalry we have is incredible. We’ve played each other so many times, but one of the reasons why Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal] were so popular and the rivalry was appreciated all over the world was because they were always fair to each other. Unfortunately you can’t say that about him and that’s just a real shame for me as an athlete,” he noted.
Daniil Medvedev. Photo/Daily Express
In a rejoinder, Medvedev accused Zverev of living in his own world and advised him to self-reflect.
Then on Friday when he was knocked out of the tournament by Holger Rune in the quarter-final, he jokingly told Rune after the match that he wasn’t fair in his game and they both laughed.
Medvedev said that he will only be bothered if Zverev keeps up with his narrative of unfair play. Should this happen, he will reach out and square things out and he is okay with falling out with the German player.
He further added that some of his competitors always reach out to him and tell him that he played unfairly with no hard feelings.
However, with Zverev losing, it was too much for him to take it and called for an interview to disparage Medvedev who put up a great three-hour performance.
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