{"id":48183,"date":"2024-01-15T13:43:04","date_gmt":"2024-01-15T13:43:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/cramps-and-tears-as-medvedev-beats-brutal-heat-at-australian-open-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-01-15T13:43:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T13:43:04","slug":"cramps-and-tears-as-medvedev-beats-brutal-heat-at-australian-open-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/cramps-and-tears-as-medvedev-beats-brutal-heat-at-australian-open-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Cramps and tears as Medvedev beats brutal heat at Australian Open | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nMELBOURNE:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Frenchman Terence Atmane smashed his racquet, served underarm and retired in tears as he dealt with serious cramp in pushing third seed Daniil Medvedev<\/a> hard at the Australian Open on Monday.<\/p>\n

The qualifier struggled in the searing heat on Margaret Court Arena, stunning the Russian by taking the first set but was unable to continue when trailing 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 1-0.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThe conditions were brutal,\u201d said two-time tournament finalist Medvedev. \u201cThe more he (Atmane) plays this intensity, the better he will be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m just happy to be through,\u201d he added. \u201cI played bad at the beginning in the first set, but I was happy I could regain momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n

Medvedev broke for 2-1 in the opening set and raced to 5-3, but a battling Atmane levelled the score at 5-5 when Medvedev missed a volley.<\/p>\n

With his confidence building, the Frenchman, on his Grand Slam debut, held serve then broke again to take the set and leave the world number three shaking his head in disbelief.<\/p>\n

Medvedev woke up to steam through the second set before Atmane started cramping badly.<\/p>\n

He resorted to underarm serves as he struggled to move and demolished his racquet when he lost serve to slip 2-1 behind in the third set.<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old gamely battled on, still in pain, mixing underarm and overarm serves as Medvedev cashed in to take the third set.<\/p>\n

But after losing the first game of the fourth set, he was forced to retire, sobbing as his tournament ended.<\/p>\n

Medvedev, who faces Finland\u2019s unseeded Emil Ruusuvuori in the next round, said ahead of the match he is trying to \u201cmature\u201d and do fewer \u201cstupid things\u201d on court to shake off his reputation as a tennis villain.<\/p>\n

The Russian is no stranger to outbursts and meltdowns on court, which has earned him a love-hate relationship with fans. He was mostly well behaved against Atmane, but did complain about the water bottles.<\/p>\n

Medvedev lost to Novak Djokovic<\/a> in the 2021 Melbourne final and Rafael Nadal a year later, which sparked a form slump.<\/p>\n

But has since bounced back, winning 66 matches last season, more than any other player on tour.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n