‘New’ Medvedev aiming to cut out ‘stupid things’ on court

MELBOURNE: Daniil Medvedev says he is trying to “mature” and do fewer “stupid things” on court to shake off his reputation as a tennis villain.

The Russian world number three is no stranger to outbursts and meltdowns on court, which has earned him a love-hate relationship with fans. But the 27-year is keen to change the narrative, starting at the Australian Open, where he is a two-time finalist.

“I want to change, I want to mature. I feel like I´ve done a big step these last months,” he said on Friday at Melbourne Park. “Hopefully people can see it on the court because that´s the toughest challenge, tournaments.

“When you´re on court, that´s where the adrenaline is on its highest. That´s where it´s tougher to control your emotions. “Even if something happens, I just want to kind of go with who I am, try to do less stupid things that don´t help me as a person and tennis player.

“Hopefully I can achieve it this season, and we´re going to see a new Daniil Medvedev.” The Australian Open third seed was outplayed by Novak Djokovic in the 2021 final before a heart-wrenching defeat by Rafael Nadal at the same stage a year later. That narrow defeat in 2022 had a profound impact on Medvedev, who struggled to recapture the same form for the rest of the year and slipped out of the world´s top 10.

Sinner enjoying life as Grand Slam breakthrough beckons

Jannik Sinner credited master coach Darren Cahill on Friday with helping him rise up the rankings, saying the Australian gave him a different perspective on tennis.

The Italian brought Cahill on board in June 2022 and he has overseen the 22-year-old´s elevation to number four in the world. “There are many things,” Sinner said when asked what made Cahill special.

“He gives you a point of view not only tennis-wise but also the general view. I really like this. I love the company I have. We have a lot of fun.” “If we would live 24/7 in a house all together, we could live so, so long because we make zero problems out of it,” he added. “We enjoy our ride. That´s good for us.”

Cahill guided Lleyton Hewitt to become the then youngest men´s world number one and coached Andre Agassi. He has also worked with Andy Murray, Ana Ivanovic, Fernando Verdasco, and Simona Halep. “It´s just the little things that make a big difference in a player´s career, and that´s kind of my role,” Cahill said recently.