Russia's Daniil Medvedev began his Australian Open 2024 with a thumping 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 1-0 win against France's Terence Atmane but had to fight his way not just through his opponent but also against Melbourne’s scorching heat.
The world No.3 lost the first set 5-7 to the French but made a fantastic comeback and won the remaining sets 6-2, 6-4, before Atmane retired due to cramps.
The temperature in Melbourne was 27°C when Atmane opted for retirement and it increased further as the sunlight was directly hitting the court.
Medvedev opened up after the match, calling the conditions “brutal” as the Russian had to fight really hard to record a win.
“It was brutal conditions. What’s brutal is it hasn’t been hot for seven days here and now it is hot,” said Medvedev. “I regained the momentum and when I started feeling tough, he started cramping.
“I get tired physically, but I know the other guy will tire physically too and see if the other can handle it better.”
On the other hand, Greece player Stefanos Tsitsipas, too, was given a brief scare by lucky loser Zizou Bergs after losing the first set. However, the Greek eventually got his head up and won the match 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 and 6-3.
Tsitsipas, runner-up of the 2023 Australian Open, was due to face Italy's Matteo Berrettini, 2021 Wimbledon finalist, but the latter withdrew with an injury just 24 hours before the match.
“Things were not as expected,” he said. “I was expecting Matteo. Things like these are quite dangerous when you’re preparing for many days in a row for a specific type of opponent.”
“I’m glad things turned around,” Tsitsipas added. “I’m glad I showed the fight and spirit that I usually show on the court so it feels great.”
