Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 22, 2022 Russia’s Daniil Medvedev waves at fans as he walks off the court after winning his third round match against Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 22, 2022 Russia’s Daniil Medvedev waves at fans as he walks off the court after winning his third round match against Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Many young players look up to their sporting icons and try to emulate them. With his incredible run at this year’s Australian Open, Daniil Medvedev has just surpassed the three biggest names in men’s tennis, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic in this particular stat.
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The 2nd seed took just 2 hours and 30 minutes to dislodge Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semis and make his way to the final. His progress in the tournament meant he became only the second man in Open-Era tennis to win his first major and then reach the final of the next Grand Slam.
Medvedev is trying to become 2nd man in Open Era to win their first Major AND THEN reach the final of the next Major. The only man to do that in the Open Era is Murray, who won his first Major at the 2012 US Open then reached the 2013 Australian Open final (l. to Djokovic).
— Chris McKendry (@ChrisMcKendry) January 28, 2022
The Russian won his 1st Grand Slam in 2021, the US Open, and is now in the 2022 Australian Open final. He’s second only to Andy Murray, who also managed to win the 2012 US Open and went on to reach the 2013 Australian Open final. Then 3rd seed Andy Murray fell to Novak Djokovic in a 4-set final match.
Medvedev could create a new record if he manages to win the successive final, just after winning his 1st Grand Slam.
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic after winning 1st Grand Slam
Roger Federer won his 1st Grand Slam in 2003, the Wimbledon Championships. Next up was the 2003 US Open, but he lost in the 4th round. Similarly, Rafael Nadal couldn’t make it to the 2005 Wimbledon final after winning the 2005 French Open. He was defeated in the 2nd round match.
Novak Djokovic had a much closer shot, as he won 2008 Australian Open and reached the semis of the French Open in the same year. But Rafael Nadal ended his dream run in 3 sets and eventually won the Championship.
Daniil Medvedev has a chance to write history
The 3 greats couldn’t go as far as the next Slam’s final after their debut major win, but Medvedev has a slight advantage; he will be playing on the hardcourt again. He is currently in great form, winning matches from difficult situations with exceptional tennis.
An epic battle between champions sits on the horizon 🏆#AusOpenWithInfosys · @Infosys pic.twitter.com/Jms2S0yqJM
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2022
Medvedev has won 13 Grand Slam matches in a row now and lost only 5 sets in the tournament so far. He will face Rafael Nadal in the final, with both of them looking to make history.
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