"You want to play tennis and not spend 10 minutes talking, but sometime they're fun" - Stefanos Tsitsipas on Daniil Medvedev's antics & playing style

Stefanos Tsitsipas recently discussed his arch-rival Daniil Medvedev’s on-court antics and his playing style.

Tsitsipas was last seen on court in the fourth round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. He crashed out of the tournament following a five-set loss to American breakout star Christopher Eubanks.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is currently spending his off days with girlfriend Paula Badosa in his home country, Greece. During the vacation, the former World No. 3 took to social media to answer a few fan questions. The two-time Grand Slam runner-up was asked about his rivalry with Daniil Medvedev.

Tsitsipas and Medvedev have faced off 12 times on tour so far. The majority of their encounters have delivered excellent tennis and controversies. Their 2022 Australian Open semifinal famously saw Medvedev lash out at the chair umpire over frequent coaching by his opponent’s father, Apostolos Tsitsipas.

The duo’s most recent clash came in the semifinals of the 2023 Italian Open, where Daniil Medvedev prevailed in straight sets. To cap off the victory, the Russian teased Stefanos Tsitsipas with some hilarious dance moves, seemingly as revenge for the Greek’s similar celebration following his victory in the 2022 Cincinnati Masters semifinal.

“I find him funny sometimes on the court, when he does his antics,” Stefanos Tsitsipas acknowledged during a light-hearted interaction on Instagram live.

“Obviously, you want to go and play tennis and not spend 10 minutes talking, but sometimes they’re fun. Especially when you see them again on replay,” he added.

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"He is not a creator; He doesn't create play" – Stefanos Tsitsipas on Daniil Medvedev

Stefanos Tsitsipas also decoded Daniil Medvedev’s playing style. The Greek hailed his colleague for using his unorthodox playing style to his advantage.

“He has a very unorthodox tennis. One of the most unorthodox tennis players that I have seen in my career. But somehow, he makes it work. He makes it work to his favor pretty well, in fact,” he said in his Instagram live.

Tsitsipas and Medvedev’s rivalry was initially lopsided heavily in the Russian’s favor as he cruised to a 5-0 lead in their head-to-head. The two-time Monte-Carlo Masters champion eventually found a way to tackle the former World No. 1. Their rivalry currently stands at 8-4 in Daniil Medvedev’s favor.

“He has a very unique style. And a difficult player to play – because he serves big. He doesn’t make a lot of unforced errors. He doesn’t miss a lot. And he has the ball in play most of the time,” Tsitsipas said about Medvedev.

Speaking from experience, Tsitsipas stated that the 2021 US Open champion’s biggest weapon is his patience.

“He is not a creator, as a player. He doesn’t create play. He doesn’t construct much of the play. But instead, he waits. He reads. And patience is one of his strongest components,” he said.

While Stefanos Tsitsipas ended his 2023 Wimbledon campaign just one win shy of meeting Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals, the Russian took advantage of the World No. 5’s upset and progressed to his maiden semifinals at the SW19. He was defeated by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the last four.