So many gamers with the expertise of a Grand Slam closing have talked about how completely different the event might be, significantly if it’s the first time, and doubtlessly overwhelming.
Medvedev, whose sole main triumph got here on the 2021 US Open, hoped his better expertise in these conditions would inform towards Sinner.
Whereas Sinner didn’t look like hampered by nerves, Medvedev merely suffocated him with an attacking strategy within the opening two units which proved to be a wise technique.
Finally, the change in his fortunes boiled all the way down to endurance – and maybe some psychological scars from the defeat by Nadal on the identical stage.
Medvedev had spent nearly six hours extra on courtroom over the Melbourne fortnight than his youthful opponent.
Thrice he needed to outlast his opponents in five-set matches and twice fought again from two units down, together with a exceptional semi-final towards German sixth seed Alexander Zverev.
Earlier than the ultimate, Medvedev spoke about Sinner having the bodily benefit and knew he must make a quick begin to maximise his probabilities.
Nonetheless, he was unable to keep up the ferocity and depth of his groundstrokes, trying more and more weary as Sinner fought again.
“I received a bit of drained bodily. However I used to be attempting to be pleased with myself and I’m,” mentioned Medvedev.
“I used to be combating, I used to be operating. I believed ‘if tomorrow I do not really feel my legs it does not matter, I’ll attempt the whole lot I can till the final level’ and I did it.
One other five-setter on Sunday meant Medvedev surpassed the earlier document for time spent on courtroom at a single Grand Slam match, which had been the 23 hours and 39 minutes Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz spent on his technique to his 2022 US Open title.
After dropping to Nadal, Medvedev began his post-match information convention with a sombre monologue the place he mentioned he had “stopped dreaming”.
This time, he struck a extra upbeat tone and even managed to joke about his time on courtroom.
“At the least I received a document in one thing. I am within the historical past books,” he mentioned.
