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'Doing a show again': Zverev's sharp response to Medvedev's act in Australian Open SF sparks 'Break Point' reminder
Zverev's sharp response reminded fans of the fourth episode of the second season of 'Break Point', titled 'Unfinished Business'.
There is more to the on-court rivalry between Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev, and it is no secret to ardent fans of the sport, especially the ones that have recently watched season 2 of 'Break Point' on Netflix, which was released just before the 2024 Australian Open. They faced each other 18 times on the tour before the semifinal clash on the Rod Laver Arena on Friday, but the most intense of those clashes, which reflected Zverev's genuine feeling for the Russian, was at the Monte Carlo Masters last year, which was revealed in one of the episodes in that Netflix series. On Friday, en route to Zverev succumbing in a five-set thriller against the world No. 3, fans were served a reminder of that episode after he responded to a Medvedev act.
It happened in the fourth set, when Zverev was on 6-5 15-0, serving to force a tiebreak. The German had just won a point with a backhand crosscourt return at the end of a long rally. Right before Zverev went into his serve routine for the next point, Medvedev called for a review of the previous point. The umpire denied it, as he had crossed the allotted time given to call a referral, thus causing a slight delay in the game. Vexed at Medvedev's act, Zverev walked up to the umpire and said: “He knows it was inside the line. He’s doing a show again.”
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Zverev's sharp response reminded fans of the fourth episode of the second season of 'Break Point', titled 'Unfinished Business'. The episode, which tracks Zverev's 2023 campaign, featured his match against Medvedev in the round of 16 at the Monte Carlo Masters, where the former US Open finalist said that the 20-time tour-level titlist often tends to play with the opponent's mind by indulging into acts that does not reflect sportsmanship.
"He is one of the most unfair players in the world, I take fair play and sportsmanship very serious. He does not. He takes a toilet break when it's not possible anymore," Zverev had told Sky Sports after losing from one-set lead in that match.
On Friday, Zverev did shrug off the disruption to bounce back in that service game, forcing a set decider, but Medvedev held his nerves in the tiebreak to take the match to a fifth set, where he broke serve twice and then converted on his first match point to reach his third Grand Slam final at the Australian Open and sixth overall in his career.
