Medvedev: 'A tennis player is dying'
Competing in the day session, in the heat of 34 degrees Celsius and high humidity at the Flushing Meadows complex, Medvedev had to call for medical attention twice. Cameras caught him saying "a player is about to die" when describing the harsh weather conditions on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Despite the difficulties, Medvedev still defeated compatriot Rublev in three sets to enter the semi-finals. Immediately after winning, he put two cold towels on his head and poured a bottle of water on his body.
"The weather was brutal," the 2021 champion said after the match. "The only good thing was that we both struggled with it. At the end of the first set I could barely see the ball. I just played with the feeling, tried to run after the ball, hit it and he did too. so".
In all three sets, Rublev took the lead. He led 3-0 in the first set, 3-1 in the second and 4-2 in the third, but both lost in reverse. Medvedev won two games of catching the ball in the first set, winning the last five games of the second set and the last four games of the third to finish the match in just three sets.
"Sometimes I think he can't run anymore," Medvedev said of his compatriot. "But he's always there. I thought: 'When will he get tired?' But actually we're always tired. It's hard to win in this weather."
Former tennis player Mats Wilander, an expert at Eurosport, said that the heat at the US Open is more dangerous than the Australian Open. "In Australia, the sun is very strong but it's still adaptable," Wilander said after the Medvedev-Rublev game. "And in America, you can't escape the humidity. It's very harsh. Some players deal with it better than others."
After many long ball situations, both Medvedev and Rublev bent down for a long time to breathe. The match saw players lose 14 times serving, out of 28 games. Rublev was eliminated for the fourth time in the US Open quarterfinals. He has yet to win a match in his nine Grand Slam quarter-final appearances.
Medvedev increased the number of hard court wins this season to 37 matches - the highest on the ATP Tour. He is sure to qualify for the ATP Finals - a tournament for the eight best players of the year. In the US Open semi-finals, the Russian player will meet the winner of the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.
