Daniil Medvedev may not have all the elements of his unlikely first round win at the 2024 Australian Open against Terence Atmane.
Despite a safe passage to the second round of the Australian Open for French Grand Slam debutant Atmane, the former world number 1’s journey to a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 1-0 victory had more than its share of twists and turns. including a fitness test for both players in 29 degree heat.
“When I started to feel physically difficult, he started having cramps, so it was a brutal condition,” said Medvedev. “I’ve been here for seven days and it hasn’t been that hot. And now the conditions are hot for the first match. I felt tired, but on many occasions in situations like that, the opponent also feels tired and after that it’s just about who can handle it better.”
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The early part of the match followed a familiar flow with Atmane providing a challenging first 15 minutes before the third seed broke the Frenchman in a game involving five deuces for a 2-1 lead. The flow of the match went as expected by the third seed after he had the opportunity to win the match at 5-4.
However, the 2021 US Open champion started making mistakes starting with a double foul and from that point on, he experienced a decline in his service level. He was then broken for the second time in a row before giving up in the first set.
The third seed then calmed down to level the score at one set and he looked unstoppable after having a break opportunity early in the third set, while world number 144 Atmane’s movements were increasingly hampered by cramps.
As Atmane’s movements became increasingly problematic, the match increasingly went in favor of the third seed before the French national was finally forced to decide to withdraw in the second game of the fourth set.
Waiting for Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the Australian Open is Estonian tennis player Emil Ruusuvuori who beat American Patrick Kypson 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6.
Meanwhile, Alexei Popyrin posted a hot match against the defending champion, Novak Djokovic, after the home tennis player beat his compatriot, Marc Polmans, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2.
