Daniil Medvedev outclasses a wobbly Jannik Sinner in five sets

The World No 1 is out of The Championships after succumbing to the Russian he outfoxed in this year’s Australian Open final.

Jannik Sinner of Italy stretches to play a forehand against Daniil Medvedev in the Gentlemen's Singles Quarter Final match during day nine of The Championships Wimbledon 2024. Picture: Getty Images

Jannik Sinner was wobbling around like a drunken sailor. He was shaking and sweating bullets. He was pasty-faced and looked likely to pass out on his courtside seat. The Australian Open champion was taken to the locker room for blood-pressure tests. He was greener than Wimbledon’s grass around the gills and after five sets against Daniil Medvedev, the World No. 1 was out of The Championships.

Sinner fought valiantly before succumbing 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 to the Russian he outfoxed in five sets in this year’s Australian Open final. “Already this morning, I didn’t feel great,” he said. “Had some problems. Then with the fatigue, it was tough. I went off the court … I didn’t want to go off. The physio told me I’d better take some time because he watched me and I didn’t seem in shape to play. I was struggling physically. It was not an easy moment. I tried to fight with what I had today that’s it.”

Jannik Sinner of Italy speaks to the press following his defeat to Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-final of the Gentlemen's Singles at The 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Picture: Getty Images

Asked if he was physically ill when he left the court, Sinner replied: “I didn’t vomit. This, no. But I took some time because I was dizzy quite a lot. Off the court I had a little bit the toughest time, maybe. When I went back, I tried my best. I was surprised that I pushed the match longer. I retired a lot two years ago. I don’t want to retire if it’s only a little bit of illness or sick or whatever. I was still in shape to play somehow but the energy level was not consistent. It was up and down … but you don’t want to retire in a quarterfinal of a grand slam.”

Russia's Daniil Medvedev returns against Italy's Jannik Sinner during their men's singles quarter-final tennis match. Picture: AFP

Medvedev will face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard breezed past American Tommy Paul 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Meanwhile, the giant-killing run of New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun crashed to a halt when the feel-good story of The Championships ran out of puff, and started cramping, in 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 loss to Croatian Donna Vekic.

“Physically I did have a little bit of issues at the end,” Sun said. “Maybe if I could have moved faster, maybe if I didn’t have the cramps, who knows what would have happened? But it did happen and I can’t change the fact what happened. I’ve had really great matches here at Wimbledon. I mean, even on the first day against Zheng Qinwen, I thought that court was huge and the people were loud. I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is such an amazing experience to play on such a big court on your first day.’ I was super-happy to be able to get that experience … but then I played on Centre Court against Emma (Raducanu). I don’t think I could forget that. Definitely not.”

New Zealand's Lulu Sun returns the ball to Croatia's Donna Vekic during their women's singles quarter-finals match. Picture: AFP

Vekic will face Jasmine Paolini in the semi-finals after the Italian thrashed American Emma Navarro 6-2, 6-1. The 28-year-old has reached her first major semi-final in her 41st grand slam event and tenth Wimbledon.

“There was a couple of times in my career that I didn’t want to play tennis any more,” she said. “Most of you know that it was after my surgeries, but actually there was one recent one. It was the Thursday before Roland Garros this year that we had scheduled practice. I arrived to the club. I told Nick, ‘Listen, I want to pull out of the French Open. I want to go home. I want to take a longer break. I didn’t have any energy, any motivation to keep practising or keep pushing. I felt like the last couple months I’d given everything for tennis and I wasn’t getting the results I expected. It was a very, very tough moment. It’s crazy how in tennis things can turn so fast. Now I’m in the semi-finals. I think not just in tennis, in life, things can turn pretty fast.”