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A photograph capturing Daniil Medvedev's seemingly gleeful reaction during his Australian Open semifinal clash against Alexander Zverev has sparked amusement among tennis fans.
Medvedev displayed his impressive resilience against Zverev, mounting a comeback from a two-set deficit to claim a remarkable 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-3 victory after a four-hour and 18-minute thriller. Despite being just two points away from a loss in the fourth set tiebreak, the Russian battled back to set up a blockbuster Australian Open final against Jannik Sinner.
Beyond his on-court heroics, Daniil Medvedev also piqued the interest of tennis fans with his animated reactions during the clash. One fan posted a screenshot from the match, which depicted the Russian directing a seemingly sly smile at Zverev, who appeared visibly frustrated and dejected.
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Tennis fans couldn't contain their amusement at the humorous image. One fan joked that Medvedev, who received a 'villain' portrayal in the second season of Netflix's Break Point as opposed to Zverev, looked like he was plotting something "mischievous."
"The Netflix villain is brewing something mischievous," the fan posted.
"Such a little sh*t," another fan chimed in.
Other fans joined in on the hilarity, with one fan suggesting that the image was a perfect template for creating memes.
"This is meme template material," the fan commented.
"Time for this to make an appearance on Photos of the Century," another fan wrote.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Daniil Medvedev on Australian Open final: "I have no idea how Jannik Sinner is going to be, but me, I will fight for my life"
While Daniil Medvedev is through to his third Australian Open final and his sixth Grand Slam final overall, Jannik Sinner will be contesting his maiden Major final on Sunday, January 28.
During his post-match press conference, the Russian disclosed that he hoped his greater experience competing in Grand Slam finals would work to his advantage against Sinner.
"I hope it gives, because I hope to have some advantage. Physical advantage I probably don't have. Tennis advantage, let's see," he said.
"So I hope that this experience can help me. First final, I think it's always different for everyone. I'm sure some guys went out on the first final and felt so good they just managed, I don't know, to win it. There are probably these stories. Some would go and it would be tough mentally and they would lose," he added.
The former World No. 1 also expressed his determination to deliver his best performance and fight relentlessly during the match in order to clinch his maiden Australian Open title.
"I have no idea how Jannik is going to be, but me, myself, I have this experience. I will try my best. I will fight for my life, and let's see who wins," he said.
Medvedev enjoys a 6-3 lead in his head-to-head record against the Italian. However, it was Sinner who emerged victorious in their last three tour-level encounters.
