Medvedev is pleased with another defeat in the Australian final: “I made history”

MELBOURNE (AP) — As difficult as it was for Daniil Medvedev to blow his lead and lose another Australian Open final, the Russian found something positive.

On Sunday night he dominated the first two sets against Jannik Sinner, who rallied to win his first Grand Slam title 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. Medvedev suffered his fifth defeat in six major tennis tournament finals.

“It’s very difficult, when you have a sports mentality, to lose in the final. More painful. But we need to try to find the positive, this is better than the semi-finals,” said Medvedev, who set several records.

It was his fourth five-set match at the tournament, an Open era record. And his total time on court, 24 hours and 17 minutes, surpassed Carlos Alcaraz’s 23:40 at the 2022 US Open.

“But at least I have a record. “I’m in the history books for a reason,” he said, laughing.

The Australian Open featured 35 five-set matches, matching the 1983 US Open record.

The Russian has already reached the mark set by Pete Sampras in 1995, reaching the Australian Open final after coming back from two sets down. They both lost it.

He is now the only player in the open era to have lost two Grand Slam finals by two sets ahead: the 2022 Australian Open to Rafael Nadal and in 2021 to Novak Djokovic.

Medvedev is now 0-3 in the Australian Open final.

“I don’t know how I’ll feel in a week or a month, sometimes disappointment comes later. I will try to keep the same spirit that I am going to the next Grand Slam tournament. If I participate in tournaments, it will only be to win them,” he said.