2022 Australian Open Men’s Semifinals: Daniil Medvedev vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas

[Vince Evert]

How many times we've seen tournament full of ultra high qual matches in the early rounds, only for it to become one-sided in the semis and finals?

 

[Moxie]

That's why I don't actually buy that it's harmful to all the players specifically in all the situations, like I pointed out about Shapavlov, can you imagine him having a breakdown about corrupt officials if he was winning handily the Nadal match? Players have nervous tics (hello Nadal fans); other players have patterns they revert to under duress and stress. At the advanced age of 25 I find it hard to believe that Medvedev is not going to boil over ever again in a match.

Now I know it' ancient history, but even that blow up at Miami a few years ago, that wasn't just a Medvedev out of nowhere outburst: Tsistipas did mutter "bullshit Russian" so that Meds heard. As Medvedev said later, basically in my translation " yeah we all mutter stuff during a match, me included, but just don't be an asshole to let me hear it, and then don't acknowledge it.." LOL

I'm not sure I get your point here. Are you saying that there are circumstances when blowing of steam helps? I'm saying they blow up when they are losing, and it rarely helps their cause. The one player I can think of who generally did better when he blew off steam was McEnroe, and we're going a long way back. I honestly think that, as Medvedev says, that, for most players, they are just wasting their own emotional energy. I'm not saying I don't understand why they do it, but they have very good examples in Nadal and Federer why you shouldn't bother. And more than multiple examples in other players why it's a bad idea. Djokovic does like to blow off steam, and he's the other one that I think can get better from that, sometimes.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I have had a rethink on this, i reckon coaching should be allowed in the grand slams, if it helps to have more competitive semifinals, something that was sorely lacking with the two womens semis. Just imagine you were a paying spectator, paying top dollars and you witnessed a 62 minute semifinal that Madison Keys vs Ash BARTY displayed. Certainly makes sense to have it legal.

Well the WTA allows coach on court during tournaments though not in Grand Slams,still to me at this level they should be able to work things out for themselves if their game is not working,it's like spoon feeding.Tactics are part of our game.I am strongly against it

 

[Moxie]

Well the WTA allows coach on court during tournaments though not in Grand Slams,still to me at this level they should be able to work things out for themselves if their game is not working,it's like spoon feeding.Tactics are part of our game.I am strongly against it

Agreed. One of the great (and poignant) things about tennis is that it is a lonely sport, and you problem solve for yourself. I don't like coaching on-court (except in the team events,) and I am totally against making it legal from the stands. Give the recently unemployed lines people a new job: station someone by the camp just to observe for coaching.

 

[Vince Evert]

Agreed. One of the great (and poignant) things about tennis is that it is a lonely sport, and you problem solve for yourself. I don't like coaching on-court (except in the team events,) and I am totally against making it legal from the stands. Give the recently unemployed lines people a new job: station someone by the camp just to observe for coaching.

OK but would you not feel ripped-off and you paid top dollar to witness a semifinal like Barty vs Keys? That was totally unexpected as both won separately in adelaide. A coach could help settle a player down psychologically and then it's up to the player to find their best tennis. At least at the end of each set, bring in the coach!

 

[Moxie]

OK but would you not feel ripped-off and you paid top dollar to witness a semifinal like Barty vs Keys? That was totally unexpected as both won separately in adelaide. A coach could help settle a player down psychologically and then it's up to the player to find their best tennis. At least at the end of each set, bring in the coach!

No, I don't agree. I don't feel ripped off by those results. Coaching on court is the same as gamesmanship...you're stopping the momentum. And it terms of the fact that it is allowed in the women's game, and not in the men's, I find that paternalistic and demeaning of the women. I absolutely hate that the women do it on the WTA tour, and the men don't. Note that Serena Williams doesn't take coaching, even where allowed. I also think that women should play some version of best of 5 sets at Majors. (Whether all rounds, or from QFs onward.) They are deprived of what we consider the "greatest matches of all time," by never playing best of 5. It's a fact.

 

[Chris Koziarz]

So Med was fined $12k for his demeanor in this match: the same that Shapo got for his famous "you are corrupt". I think the fine was lenient because Med's tirade looked more serious and the tone was far more abusive. Maybe they considered that Med apologised post-match, but that should not be consideration IMO.
The ump also did not handle it well. Not because he was lenient to Tits: he simply wasn't sure what Daddy Tits was saying, so if in doubt leave it out. Eventually, when he dispatched Eva as a spy, he learned the details and was able to judge if the rules were broken. Ump's bad handling of the situation was that he let Med continue playing without any on-court penalty. We should have said something at the start of the next game: "Ladies & Gents, code violation, unsportsman-like conduct during the break, point penalty. Medvedev, love-15". Such correct handling of the situation, would no doubt change the match, because Med was 15-40 in that game but managed to hold it. He'd likely not hold it if he got rightly penalised for his behaviour, and consecutively, he could have lost the set.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

So Med was fined $12k for his demeanor in this match: the same that Shapo got for his famous "you are corrupt". I think the fine was lenient because Med's tirade looked more serious and the tone was far more abusive. Maybe they considered that Med apologised post-match, but that should not be consideration IMO.
The ump also did not handle it well. Not because he was lenient to Tits: he simply wasn't sure what Daddy Tits was saying, so if in doubt leave it out. Eventually, when he dispatched Eva as a spy, he learned the details and was able to judge if the rules were broken. Ump's bad handling of the situation was that he let Med continue playing without any on-court penalty. We should have said something at the start of the next game: "Ladies & Gents, code violation, unsportsman-like conduct during the break, point penalty. Medvedev, love-15". Such correct handling of the situation, would no doubt change the match, because Med was 15-40 in that game but managed to hold it. He'd likely not hold it if he got rightly penalised for his behaviour, and consecutively, he could have lost the set.

I do agree with your points...though I feel they should have put on a more 'experienced' umpire on the s/final.I am over Tsitsipas and his dad,I feel he should have been docked a point,that might stop this coaching,as he has become a serial offender in that area.

 

[Federberg]

OK but would you not feel ripped-off and you paid top dollar to witness a semifinal like Barty vs Keys? That was totally unexpected as both won separately in adelaide. A coach could help settle a player down psychologically and then it's up to the player to find their best tennis. At least at the end of each set, bring in the coach!

it's the very essence of sports mate. You sound like you want to eliminate choking. I can't think of anything more anti-sport. I want to see the greats elevate themselves despite the adversity. If that goes then what do we talk about in 50 years? How good a job a coach did to get a player back in line? No mate... let the players figure it out. If they don't it's part of the tapestry. Your way would deprive us of the fall and rise of Jana Novotna

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

I don’t really take issue with players letting officials know if an official or another player is doing something that they feel is questionable as far as sportsmanship. There certainly is a right and wrong way of going about it which clearly Shapovalov and Medvedev have yet to learn. At their core, I don’t take issue with what Shapo and Med were arguing. I take issue more with their approach.

However, I think this really highlights the need for consistency as far as applying rules and guidelines. Naturally if a player feels called out in other matches for guidelines like time or coaching or whatever really, and they go into another match and watch an opponent potentially skirting the same issues when they were held to the guidelines they are going to feel some kind of way that officials have their favorite players whether true or not. I also keep in mind that these thoughts don’t necessarily happen over one tournament. Sometimes these blow ups are the result of multiple tournaments and reaching your last straw. I think we live in an age where technology makes it easier to catch things.

I don’t know what Shapovalov expected. You should always add an hour or two to a Nadal match just because Nadal and whatever his quirks or whatever Nadal feels like doing.

Medvedev has played Tsitsipas enough to know his BS.