Good morning and welcome to coverage of the second Australian Open men’s semi-final between Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev.
And following the result of the first semi-final, this is a seize-the-moment opportunity for both players.
Zverev enters the match against the backdrop of domestic violence allegations, all of which he has consistently denied. It would create an awkward moment for the sport should the German go on to win the tournament.
On the court, Zverev took out world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz in four sets on Wednesday, his first win over a top-five opponent at a major. To reach Sunday’s final he will need to do it again by defeating Medvedev but he lost five of their six meetings last year.
“A lot of matches were extremely close,” he said. “You know, a lot of the times it came down to, you know, him being extremely confident last year, him playing some of the best tennis of his life, and me coming back from injury and not having, you know, the confidence in deciding moments and not being able to finish matches.
“That’s what it came down to in Indian Wells, that’s what it came down to in Monte-Carlo, as well.
“But yeah, he’s obviously extremely difficult to play. No question about it. He’s one of the best players in the world right now.
“But obviously I’m happy in the position I am in, and I’m going to do everything I can to win that match on Friday.”
For Medvedev, he is desperate to set up a chance at winning a second grand slam and says he enjoys the quieter atmosphere as the tournament enters the closing stages.
“I always like ending of the tournaments because maybe my first final on ATP Tour or second, you’re like, wow, it’s strange, there’s always so many people in the beginning and then it’s so quiet, and on Grand Slams it’s even more strange,” he said.
“But once two, three finals, I got used to it, and I’m like actually, like, the best feeling. You know if there is almost no one left in the tournament, that means you’ve done a great job, there’s no one to disturb you, it’s just you, so go try to win it.
“I like this feeling. Yeah, hopefully I can be here on Sunday.”