Daniil Medvedev left surprised by fans after marathon second-round match: 'I would not be here'
More surprising than Daniil Medvedev coming back from two sets down in the second round of the Australian Open was the fact that anyone was around to witness it.
Medvedev's five-set marathon against Emil Ruusuvuori lasted four hours and 23 minutes and ran until 3:40 a.m. in Melbourne, the third-latest Australian Open finish in the tournament's history. He won the match 3-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-0.
Afterward, an exhausted Medvedev singled out the crowd that remained late into the night.
"What is it, like 3:40 in the morning? Honestly, guys, I would not be here," said Medvedev as he began to laugh. "If I were a tennis fan, at one I would be like, 'OK, let's go home, we're going to watch 30 minutes, then go to bed.'"
The 2021 U.S. Open winner has two finals appearances at the Australian Open, losing to Novak Djokovic in straight sets in 2021 and to Rafael Nadal in a five-set thriller in 2022.
He reached the U.S. Open finals in September 2023, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the semis but falling to Djokovic in the finals.
Medvedev plays Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round, which is when he lost to Sebastian Korda in straight sets during last year's tournament. After his second-round match bled into early Friday morning in Melbourne, Medvedev needs a good night's rest so that this year doesn't have the same ending.
More must-reads: