Tennis great Justine Henin has described Daniil Medvedev as “authentic” and an “extraordinary man” after his remarkable run at the 2024 Australian Open.
Darren Cahill, the coach of Jannik Sinner – who defeated Medvedev in the final – also lauded Medvedev for being a “hell of a player and competitor” with a high “tennis IQ.”
Medvedev suffered a cruel five-set defeat to world No 4 Sinner in Sunday’s final after leading by two sets to love, making him the first player to lose two major finals after leading 2-0 in sets.
The 2021 US Open champion broke the record for most time spent on court at a Grand Slam tournament with a staggering 24 hours and 17 minutes amassed during his gruelling run.
To reach the final, the world No 3 won three five-setters and two matches after trailing 0-2 in sets – including in an incredible semi-final win over Alexander Zverev.
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Henin was full of praise for Medvedev, but felt some of his lengthy matches could have been avoided and ultimately cost him in the final.
“We can really talk about this chaotic start to the tournament. He dropped a set against [Nuno] Borges when he had a break in advance, he could have made his task easier against [Hubert] Hurkacz,” the former world No 1 told Eurosport.
“Against [Emil] Ruusuvuori, he was down two sets to zero, he finished very late and he even came to answer our questions at 4 am. We are delighted, he is an extraordinary man, he plays the game, he wants to share, he is authentic, but these efforts on the right, on the left, are expensive.”
Elite tennis coach Cahill also marvelled at the physical exploits and toughness of the 27-year-old Russian.
“Daniil went to hell and back in this tournament. What he put himself through physically. I didn’t think he was going to beat Zverev, and he was able to come through that one,” the Australian said in a post-tournament press conference.
“There’s been a couple of other matches where he was up against it, had his back against the wall, and he just continues to push himself and fights until the last point. Physically I can’t even imagine how he’s feeling. He must be hurting big-time.
“Again, I give him a ton of credit not just for the way he played today but mentally just fighting until the last point. That’s why he’s already a Grand Slam champion, that’s why he’s had many chances to win more Grand Slams, and that’s why he’s going to have many more chances.
“He’s a hell of a player, a hell of a competitor. As Jannik said in the after-match, we learn every time we step on to the court playing Daniil, because I think his tennis IQ is as good as anybody’s.
“Yeah, chess player. And he finds different ways to break opponents down. That’s where we have to keep problem-solving when we play him.”