«Among the dirtiest tennis players in the world»- Corriere.it

It was supposed to be a spectacular eighth final and there was no shortage of emotions in the match between Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, who battled to the last point in the Montecarlo Masters 1000. A match that was decided in the tie-break of the third set (9-7 for the Russian, then eliminated in the quarterfinals by a super Rune) and which recorded a match point from both sides. A tough confrontation and also full of controversy. In fact, there were many controversial episodes that saw the Russian, former number one in the world, as the protagonist. The latter first ordered a spectator to be silent with a finger in front of his mouth, then — down 5-4 in the second set — he expressed his frustration by removing a net post as the players were switching ends. Behaviors that certainly did not make Zverev happy, as demonstrated by the very cold handshake between the two.

Zverev vents on Medvedev: Among the dirtiest tennis players in the world

And in fact, at the end of the game, the German’s outburst arrived on time, and he didn’t mince words against his opponent: one of the dirtiest tennis players in the world. I try to take sportsmanship and fair play very seriously, he doesn’t. He took breaks to go to the bathroom when he couldn’t help himself. Zverev’s criticisms didn’t stop there: There are a thousand situations in which he sees me starting to play better and in which he tries to do everything to hinder me. I am very disappointed in him as an athlete. Obviously I shouldn’t have distracted myself if I lost only because of my own fault. But I think fair play should still be a part of the sport.