Daniil Medvedev proposes a ‘best of 3’ sets match idea when conditions at Grand Slams are ‘adverse’ as players fall prey to extreme conditions at US Open
Medvedev opens up about the inability to play in adverse conditions and how tough it can get in the middle of the court.
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Daniil Medvedev (Image via USOpen.org)
Daniil Medvedev took to his recent press conference to propose a 3-set match at Grand Slam events during adverse conditions. With a lot of players complaining about the heat and humidity of New York, the Russian asserted that some steps need to be taken in order to ensure the safety of the players.
The former World No.1 acknowledged that matches cannot be canceled during hot days. “I’m not sure what we can do. We can’t probably stop the tournament because then it basically ruins everything,” he said. The Russian acknowledged this would lead to scheduling nightmares and tickets cannot be resold or refunded. However, he proposed that five set matches could be reduced to a best of three sets situation in order to accommodate all parties.
“Could we go to three sets when conditions are like this? Some guys wouldn’t be happy,” he said. While the matches will not be canceled, the game would still go on without putting too much stress on the players.
He also realized that some players might be against 3-set matches. This was because there have been many instances where a player has been two sets down and came in the clutch to win the match. However, the Russian emphasized that the players’ health is much more important that the result. He also emphasized that there should not arise a case where someone in the future says, “Medvedev said this years ago.”
Medvedev also accepted that ultimately, he too does not have the solution to the problem. While the Russian might be giving a lot of suggestions to the issue, he does not believe that any of these are truly viable. He also said that he hoped nothing ill-mannered would happen during the course of his career, and beyond.
Medvedev talks about the dangers of the US Open heat
In the quarter-final match between Daniil Medvedev and compatriot Andrey Rublev, the two players were battling not only each other but the weather as well. With the New York heat reaching its peak, the spectators saw both players struggling to nail the shots.
The former US Open champ had won the game against his friend. However, he still had a few words to say about the match. He voiced out that something ‘dangerous’ was going to happen one way or the other. He also posed a vital question: “How far could we go?” He took an example of Yibing Wu, who collapsed due to the heat at Washington.
Other players like Novak Djokovic and Jelena Ostapenko were also seen struggling under the conditions. Medvedev said that conducting matches at night was not a viable option either. He said that New York’s heat was high not only during the day but at night as well. He said something else must be thought of before ‘something’ happens
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Ramya Rangarajan
(267 Articles Published)