Daniil Medvedev "one of the most unfair players in the world" says Alexander Zverev following Monte-Carlo Masters clash

Alexander Zverev has expressed his displeasure with Daniil Medvedev's on-court behavior following their third-round encounter at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters.

The German and the Russian were part of a thrilling late-night rollercoaster at the Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday. The match, which had Alexander Zverev in the lead for the most part, reached a conclusion only after three hours of play. Daniil Medvedev ended up stealing the win in the deciding tiebreak 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7) after saving two match points.

In addition to match points in the tiebreak, Zverev also failed to close out the encounter twice; he served for the match in both the second and third sets.

The match also had its fair share of drama as Daniil Medvedev engaged in some on-court antics. That included gesturing to the crowd to maintain silence and removing the net post right before Alexander Zverev served for the match in the second set. Medvedev also opted for an untimely bathroom break in the third set.

Zverev, displeased by the series of events in the match, blasted the Russian by calling him “one of the most unfair players”.

“He is one of the most unfair players in the world. I take fairplay and sportsmanship very seriously. He does not. He takes a toilet-break when it’s not possible anymore,” the former World No. 2 saidsas per Sky, translated by Jannik Schneider.

The Tokyo Olympic gold medalist also expressed his disappointment with Medvedev "as an athlete."

“There are 1000 situations in which he feels that I start to play better and in which he tries to do something every time. I am extremely disappointed with him as an athlete,” he said.

Zverev admitted that he should have kept his focus despite the 27-year-old’s alleged mind games, before reiterating that Medvedev should have respected fairplay.

“Of course you can argue that it’s not good from me that I get distracted. This should not happen to me and it’s totally my fault and it really was bad from my side,” Alexander Zverev said. “But I still feel fairplay should always be part of sports.”

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"The match can turn around in one second and that's what I managed to do" – Daniil Medvedev on his Monte-Carlo Masters victory over Alexander Zverev

Daniil Medvedev at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters

The victory over his biggest rival Alexander Zverev on his favored surface was significant for Daniil Medvedev, who has frequently expressed his annoyance with the red dirt.

After the Monte-Carlo Masters win, the World No. 5 shared his views on Zverev's unsuccessful attempts at serving for the match. He declared that the 25-year-old, who had the lead, should have played better.

“That was a crazy match. I mean, he served two times for the match, so probably should have done better,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview.

Medvedev also stated that he was able to take advantage of his opponent’s nerves and close out the encounter.

“But, that’s also clay courts. As soon as someone gets a little bit tight, the match can turn around in one second and that’s what I managed to do,” he remarked.

Following his victory over Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev will face off against Holger Rune in the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters.