“Nothing to do with this” - Daniil Medvedev denies aiming ‘karma’ celebration at Alexander Zverev after Australian Open SF win

Daniil Medvedev has denied taking a dig at Alexander Zverev with his 'karma' celebration at the 2024 Australian Open.

Medvedev mounted a spirited comeback from being two sets down to defeat Zverev 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-3 in the second semifinal of the Melbourne Slam on Friday (January 26). With the win, he took a 12-7 lead over the German in head-to-head. The Russian will face Jannik Sinner, who downed Novak Djokovic in the first semifinal.

Medvedev marked his victory by yelling the word 'karma' at his team members while keeping a finger over his mouth. The media later asked him if the gesture was aimed at Zverev in the wake of the German's statements in the second season of Netflix's documentary, Break Point.

Medvedev rubbished the claim, saying:

"No, no, no, it was not it. I tried to not go on Twitter but I went on Twitter and I saw it all over the place. I was like, ‘Oh my God’. As I said just right now, I don't want to go, let's say -- because it's a little bit like when you try touch someone and then he touches you back and then you touch someone."

"It was something related to my team. Something about mentality. So, yeah, nothing to do with this. I would not be happy to do it this way," he added.

The Russian further suggested that he and Zverev mutually respect each other the same way he and Stefanos Tsitsipas do.

"I had my moments, probably the most with Tsitsipas, and even with him we seem to be, you know, we're not friends but we seem to respect each other more than before. So same," Daniil Medvedev said.

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A look into what Alexander Zverev said about Daniil Medvedev in Netflix's Break Point

Alexander Zverev

In the second season of Netflix's Break Point, Alexander Zverev attributed Daniil Medvedev's early exit from the 2023 French Open to 'karma.'

Medvedev lost to unseeded Thiago Seyboth Wild in the opening round. Zverev, who reached as far as the semifinal in the same tournament, was on bad terms with Medvedev alleging the Russian was a dishonest competitor.

Therefore, he claimed in an episode of Break Point it was kismet that Daniil Medvedev suffered defeat.

"Daniil Medvedev is one of the best players in the world, so it helps not playing him at an early stage. But at the same, I do believe in karma. I do believe that if you wish bad upon someone, then the bad is going to come back to you," Zverev said.