Medvedev, Daniil (1996- )

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      Rafael Nadal Wins the Australian Open, His 21st Grand Slam Title

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      Nadal broke his tie with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in men’s singles major career victories by beating Daniil Medvedev in five sets in the final.MELBOURNE, Australia — For an aging champion who has earned his reputation as one of the greatest competitors in sports, it was a fitting way to stand alone with 21 Grand Slam men’s singles titles.Down, two sets to none, in the Australian Open final, against the higher ranked and considerably younger Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal did not simply count himself fortunate to have made it so far in a tournament he once considered himself unlikely to play.Instead, he did what he has done since he burst onto the tennis scene nearly 20 years ago as a longhaired teenager in pirate pants.He fought. He thought. He fought and thought some more, and his prize was his most unexpected major title and a victory, 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5, that was utterly suitable for archiving.It was a match awash in long rallies, momentum shifts, dazzling winners on the run and break points saved and converted. It started on Sunday evening in Melbourne and ended after 1 in the morning on Monday. It was 5 hours 24 minutes of true grit, and it broke Nadal’s tie with his greatest rivals, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who are now tied for second on the men’s career list with 20 Grand Slam singles titles each.“For me, it’s just amazing,” Nadal said. “Being honest, one month and a half ago, I did not know if I will be able to be back on the tour playing tennis again, and today I am here in front of all of you having this trophy with me. You really don’t know how much I fought to be here.”Nadal, a Spaniard seeded sixth here, has proved many times that he does not beat himself. He just won’t. You need to pry a match and trophy from his hands, point by point, game by game, set by set. The second-seeded Medvedev, despite all his power and skills, could not manage it, losing his way midway through the third set and never quite figuring out how to correct course.Nadal gave him openings, no doubt, failing to serve out the championship at 5-4 in the fifth set with the crowd behind him as it was throughout this marathon of a match. But at 5-all, Medvedev could not capitalize. Nadal broke him right back and then served for the title again.This time, he did not blink. Let the record note that he clinched No. 21 by holding at love, winning a baseline rally, hitting a service winner, and then an ace and then a backhand volley winner into an open court that was an apt final touch to one of his masterpieces.It was not his cleanest or prettiest work of performance art. He had to draw outside the lines and erase some of his game plan to find a way to the finish, but this was definitive, vintage Nadal in that he managed to continue competing in the moment no matter how rocky the previous moment might have been.He is 35 and did not win a Grand Slam tournament in 2021 — losing to Djokovic in the semifinals of the French Open, the tournament where Nadal has reigned supreme, then playing only one more tournament the rest of the season because of a chronic foot problem.There were discussions with his family, friends and support team about retirement. But Nadal remains passionate about the game, and after recovering from the coronavirus in late December, he flew to Australia to try again.Nearly one month later, he has yet to lose a match in Melbourne, winning a warm-up tournament at Rod Laver Arena, then winning the main event by working his way through seven rounds in all sorts of ways and weather.He suffered in the heat against Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinals, losing a two-set lead and seeking medical treatment off court before winning in five sets. But Sunday’s final was played under the lights in the evening.Medvedev, beaten by Djokovic in straight sets in last year’s Australian Open final, was the dominant player at the start this time.He extended Nadal in his two opening service games, then broke him at love in his next two service games to take firm command of the opening set.Rod Laver Arena during the men’s singles final match between Nadal and Daniil Medvedev.Paul Crock/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesThe second set quickly became more complicated — and spectacular — as they attacked, stretched and defended brilliantly. Nadal won a 40-shot rally, the longest of the match, finishing it with a crisply sliced backhand winner that landed on the sideline and earned a standing ovation and then his first break of serve.But his early lead proved unsustainable as Medvedev reeled him in, showing more consistency in the extended rallies and winning many more quick points with his bigger first serve.A Russian, Medvedev was prevailing in the duel between Nadal’s best shot (his bolo whip of a forehand) and his own best shot (a slap of a two-handed backhand). Medvedev finally broke back as Nadal served for the set in a marathon game and failed to convert a set point.Medvedev then rallied from 3-5 in the tiebreaker by winning the final four points to take what looked like a commanding two-set lead.Nadal hugged his father, Sebastián, after the match.Martin Keep/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesNadal has now won all four of the major tournaments at least twice. He won his first Australian Open title in 2009, defeating Federer in five sets and then consoling him as he broke down at the awards ceremony. But Nadal has often been the one in need of comforting in Melbourne since then.He lost four straight finals in radically different ways. In 2012, Djokovic beat him in a nearly six-hour test of skill and will that left both men struggling to stand as they awaited their trophies. In 2017, Federer, playing freely as he returned from injury, snuffed out Nadal’s own comeback story by rallying from 1-3 deficit in the fifth set.Then, in 2019, Djokovic dealt Nadal the most lopsided defeat of his career in a major final, dominating him, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. Watching that rout and knowing Nadal’s history in Melbourne, it seemed difficult to imagine him winning another Australian Open.But Nadal surprised the field this year, and also surprised himself. More

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      Nadal and Medvedev Will Play in Australian Open Final

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      The Spaniard defeated Matteo Berrettini and will play for a record 21st career Grand Slam men’s singles title against Medvedev, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in four sets.MELBOURNE, Australia —Rafael Nadal moved within one match of a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam men’s singles title by defeating Matteo Berrettini of Italy, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in the semifinals of the Australian Open.The sixth-seeded Nadal will face the No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final, the latest clash between the old guard and new wave in men’s tennis.Medvedev also won in four sets on Friday, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, But Medvedev’s victory was considerably more tempestuous than Nadal’s. After losing his serve in the ninth game of the second set and receiving a code violation for a visible obscenity that he said was misinterpreted, Medvedev shouted angrily at chair umpire Jaume Campistol for most of the changeover, suggesting that Tsitsipas’s father was illegally coaching his son from the player box.“Are you stupid? His father can talk every point?” Medvedev said from his chair, screaming “Look at me!” at the Spanish official when Campistol turned his gaze back toward the court to try to defuse the situation.It was an extraordinary outburst, a flashback to combustible champions of the past like John McEnroe. Medvedev said after the match that he regretted the way he has sometimes treated chair umpires.“I regret it all the time, because I don’t think it’s nice,” he said. “I know that every referee is trying to do their best. But, yeah, when you are there, tennis, you know, we don’t fight with the fists, but tennis is a fight. It’s a one on one against another player. So I’m actually really respectful to players who never, almost never show their emotions because, I mean, it’s tough, it’s tough, because I get, I can get really emotional.”Medvedev said he could not be certain that Apostolos Tsitsipas was coaching his son. He said all he could hear was his commentary during the match in Greek, which Medvedev does not speak. But tournament officials soon stationed Greek umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore in a tunnel within earshot of the players’ box. When Tsitsipas eventually received a warning for coaching early in the fourth set, he did not win another game, and Medvedev accelerated to the finish.“Many times I lose the match because of this,” Medvedev said of his tantrum. “Lose concentration and too much energy, so as soon as I’ve done it, I was like that’s a big mistake.”Tsitsipas, who has said in the past that his relationship with Medvedev is frosty, smiled when asked about Friday’s outburst.“It’s for sure funny,” he said. “I don’t pay attention to this stuff. Players like to do this stuff to throw you off mentally. Could be maybe a tactic. It’s all right. He’s not the most mature person.”Daniil Medvedev will play Nadal in the men’s singles final.Dave Hunt/EPA, via ShutterstockTsitsipas, who has received several coaching violations in recent seasons, said he was not being coached on Friday even if he believes it should be allowed in men’s tennis. “I cannot hear anything when I’m playing and having the crowd be so loud every single point,” he said. He said that he had spoken with his father to try to stop him from talking during his matches. “My father, look, he’s a person that when he gets into something when there is a lot of action, his medicine is to talk, and you can’t stop it,” Tsitsipas said. “It’s something that he does from nature. I’ve talked to him about it. I’ve tried.”Medvedev, who could be fined for his comments to Campistol, said he has been working on himself, as well, after losing his temper regularly in his early years. He showed zen-master composure in his second-round defeat of Australian Nick Kyrgios last week with Kyrgios egging on the crowd, but Friday was a step back.“In the heat of the moment, I just lost it,” he conceded.Sunday’s duel with Nadal will be a rematch of the grueling 2019 U.S. Open final that Nadal won in five sets. Nadal, the 35-year-old Spanish star, is tied with his longtime rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for the men’s record.But neither Federer nor Djokovic played in this year’s tournament. Federer is still recovering from knee surgery and Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open champion, was deported on the eve of the tournament after his visa was revoked by the Australian government and his appeal was rejected.Nadal, the only member of the Big Three in Melbourne, came through Djokovic’s half of the draw and has carried the torch surprisingly well after missing most of the second half of the 2021 season with a chronic foot problem. When he did return to action in late December for an exhibition in Abu Dhabi, he contracted the coronavirus and developed symptoms at home in Majorca, Spain before making the long trip to Australia.But he won a warm-up tournament at Melbourne Park before the main event and has now swept through six more matches to reach his sixth and most unexpected Australian Open final. He was in tears on court after the victory and said he had discussed the possibility of retirement with his family last year.“This is a success that is particularly emotional,” Nadal said. “It means so much to me, perhaps because it’s so unexpected.”He has won this title just once, beating Federer for the title in 2009. Since then, he has experienced plenty of tennis heartache in Rod Laver Arena: losing a 2012 final to Djokovic that went 5 hours 53 minutes, and another marathon to Federer in 2017 despite holding a 3-1 lead in the fifth set.Now, he has a chance to set himself apart.“For me it’s all about the Australian Open more than anything else,” he said when asked about the prospect of winning No. 21. “I was lucky to win in 2009 but never thought about another chance in 2022.”Nadal now has a 2-0 record against Berrettini, the strapping 25-year-old Italian who has a big serve and heavy forehand and plenty of charisma, but also has a comparatively weak backhand that Nadal exploited repeatedly.Medvedev argued with the chair umpire, believing that Tsitsipas’s father was illegally coaching his son from the player box.Dave Hunt/EPA, via ShutterstockBerrettini had no break points on Nadal’s serve until the eighth game of the third set, but with Nadal serving at 3-4, Berrettini sprinted to his right and hit a forehand passing shot winner down the line that appeared to surprise both men. Nadal was soon serving at 0-40 and two points later, Berrettini was able to break him for the first time, slapping a forehand winner.He then served out third set, baring his teeth to his support team as he strutted past Nadal to his chair before the fourth set.“He’s a very solid player, very dangerous,” Nadal said. “And in the third, I knew at some point he is going to go for the shots. I didn’t play a good game with my serve at 3-4, but he played some great shots. The passing shot down the line was unbelievable.”But the patterns of play were still in Nadal’s favor as he continued to focus his attacks on Berrettini’s backhand. The Italian did hit a two-handed winner to get to 15-30 on Nadal’s serve in the opening game of the fourth set, but Nadal won a cat-and-mouse exchange on the next point as Berrettini missed a backhand slice off a good drop shot.Nadal will play in his sixth Australian Open men’s singles final.Dean Lewins/EPA, via ShutterstockThough Berrettini kept hustling and ripping through his forehands, he could not sustain his comeback, losing his serve in the eighth game of what turned out to be the final set.“We need to suffer, and we need to fight,” Nadal said, summing up his philosophy over his nearly 20-year career. “That’s the only way I am where I am today.”Both Federer and Djokovic have taken aim at No. 21 in a Grand Slam final and missed. Federer had two match points on his serve against Djokovic in the 2019 Wimbledon final and failed to convert. Djokovic faced Medvedev in last year’s U.S. Open final and lost in straight sets.Now it is Nadal’s turn, even as he continues to say that finishing ahead of Federer and Nadal in the Grand Slam chase is not his obsession or priority.“Being very honest, for me is much more important to have the chance to play tennis than win the 21, no?” he said.But a second Australian Open title would certainly be most welcome. He is the fifth oldest man to reach the singles final here in the Open era and like Federer, who was 35 when he won in 2017, Nadal is coming back from an injury layoff and playing with freedom and lower expectations than usual.He had the staying power and desire to hold off Denis Shapovalov in a five-set quarterfinal in the heat. After two days to recuperate, he had the skill set and precision to hold off Berrettini under a closed roof on Friday with the rain pelting down on Melbourne during the match. More

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      Australian Open Final Four: It's Nadal vs. Berrettini and Medvedev vs. Tsitsipas

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      The men’s singles semifinals will feature No. 6 Rafael Nadal against No. 7 Matteo Berrettini, and No. 2 Daniil Medvedev against No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas.MELBOURNE, Australia — None of the men’s singles semifinalists at the Australian Open has made it this far unscathed.All have been pushed to five sets in the heat at Melbourne Park this year.Rafael Nadal, making his latest comeback, dropped more than 10 pounds and had to battle through nausea and dizziness during his toasty, testy victory over Denis Shapovalov of Canada on Tuesday in Rod Laver Arena. Daniil Medvedev of Russia had to save a match point in the same stadium on Wednesday before prevailing against Shapovalov’s countryman, Felix Auger-Aliassime, in an after-midnight thriller.Matteo Berrettini has been stretched to the limit twice: by the Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz and the French veteran Gael Monfils. Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece had to rally to wriggle free of the American Taylor Fritz.But after Medvedev’s entertaining escape from a two-set deficit in the quarterfinal, the final four is set, and it is a lineup with genuine star power if, for now, only one true tennis great.That is Nadal, 35, who is in close range of surpassing his longtime measuring sticks, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, with a 21st Grand Slam tournament singles title but, as usual, is talking down the destination and favoring the journey.The sixth-seeded Rafael Nadal in his five-set victory over Denis Shapovalov in the men’s quarterfinals.Alana Holmberg for The New York Times“I am super satisfied and feel a very lucky person in general for all the things that happen to me in this life, no?” Nadal said, looking drawn but fulfilled after battling past Shapovalov. “You can’t always be frustrated if the neighbor has a bigger house than you or a better phone or a better thing, no? I’m not going to be frustrated if Novak or Roger finishes the career with more Grand Slams than me.”Nadal, it should be said, has a lot of nice things, including a million-dollar watch and an 80-foot yacht named “Great White,” but he clearly still craves more time on the court. Why else would he spend months rehabilitating again from the chronic foot condition that first threatened his career in his early 20s? Why else would he make the trip to Melbourne despite falling ill with the coronavirus in late December?The love of the game remains, and he could get plenty more court time (and challenges) in his semifinal duel with Berrettini, the strapping 6-foot-6 Italian whose topspin forehand is nearly as heavy as Nadal’s.They have played just once. Nadal won in straight sets in the semifinals of the 2019 U.S. Open, the last Grand Slam tournament Nadal won on a hardcourt. But Berrettini, 25, is now an established threat in majors after reaching last year’s Wimbledon final.“I watch him so many times in this tournament and other tournaments, cheering for him,” Berrettini said of Nadal. “Playing him in Rod Laver in the semifinals is something that I dreamed about when I was a kid.”Matteo Berrettini in his match against Carlos Alcaraz.Alana Holmberg for The New York TimesBut the dream now is not to play him but to beat him.“I know I can do it,” Berrettini said at a late-night news conference this week. “It’s gonna be a really tough one, but I’m in the semis in a Slam for the third time, like you guys said, so it means that this is my level, and I want to get further.”Berrettini is the first Italian man to reach a singles semifinal at the Australian Open and will remain the only one until at least next year. Jannik Sinner, his redheaded, 20-year-old compatriot, was no match for Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals on Thursday.Tsitsipas, a 23-year-old right-hander coming back from minor elbow surgery in the off-season on his playing arm, seemed under par in the early rounds as he mistimed his groundstrokes. But he clicked into a higher gear against Sinner: dominating with his versatile and powerful forehand, one of the best shots in the game. He converted all four of his break points, did not face a break point on his own serve and adjusted beautifully to Sinner’s big-bang baseline pace to win, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.Afterward, he thanked his surgeon in Switzerland.“He’s been sending texts to me after every single match,” Tsitsipas said. “We didn’t think I’d be playing in the Australian Open.”Playing like that again in the closing rounds would likely win him the Australian Open, where he emerged in earnest in 2019 by upsetting Federer, whose smooth athleticism, all-court game and one-handed backhand have influenced Tsitsipas’s similar game.But to reach the final Tsitsipas must complete what looks like the toughest mission left in Melbourne. He must defeat Medvedev, the gangly, 25-year-old Russian with an unorthodox style, who is closing in on Djokovic’s No. 1 ranking after defeating him in the 2021 U.S. Open final.Stefanos Tsitsipas celebrated defeating Jannik Sinner in their quarterfinal match.Dean Lewins/EPA, via ShutterstockMedvedev and Tsitsipas — ranked No. 2 and No. 4 respectively — both leaders of the new wave, have had a chilly relationship on tour and acknowledged it. But they warmed to each other when they played the Laver Cup for Team Europe in Boston last year.“It kind of got better after Laver Cup,” Tsitsipas said. “We haven’t really spoken in the last couple of months, but our relationship is competitors on the court and kind of fighting for the same dream.”Medvedev leads their head-to-head series 6-2 and is 4-0 against Tsitsipas on outdoor hardcourts, the surface at the Australian Open. But Medvedev, who lost to Djokovic in the final at Melbourne Park last year, came within one point of elimination on Wednesday against the dynamic and inspired Auger-Aliassime.Medvedev had beaten him in all three of their previous matches while losing just one set. But he lost the first two sets in the quarterfinal as he proved less reliable than usual during their extended, often spectacular baseline rallies and struggled to read and return Auger-Aliassime’s big serves.They were quite a contrast. Medvedev played his service games at breakneck pace, often taking less than 10 seconds between points. Auger-Aliassime was measured on his service games, usually using the full 25 seconds. His technique is classic, with smooth strokes and follow-throughs. Medvedev’s is 100-percent artisanal, with his long limbs flying in all sorts of seemingly suboptimal directions but his ball-striking so clean and devastating.He is full of big-point confidence after winning his first major in New York, and he needed it on Wednesday when he faced match point on his serve at 4-5, 30-40 in the fourth set after a double fault.He saved it by ripping a first serve wide that Auger-Aliassime could not handle and then carried the momentum to victory.Russia’s Daniil Medvedev saved a match point in the fourth set before winning his quarterfinal match against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime.Loren Elliott/ReutersHe was lucky, too, getting a boost earlier in the match when play was stopped to close the retractable roof in Laver Arena because of rain during the third-set tiebreaker. The conditions were considerably cooler with the roof closed, and, Medvedev acknowledged, more to his liking.But indoors or outdoors, it was a taut thriller of a match, one that the ninth-seeded Auger-Aliassime came so close to winning.“I think he was just a little bit more clutch than me, a little bit more solid at times,” said Auger-Aliassime, who was broken in the third game of the fifth set and failed to convert any of his six break points in that set.Medvedev seemed unleashed down the stretch: brimming with energy and feeding off the crowd. When his comeback was complete, he was asked on court by the commentator Jim Courier how he had turned the match around.“I didn’t really know what to do,” he answered. “So I don’t know if people will like it but I told myself, ‘What would Novak do?’”There was a chorus of boos from the largely Australian crowd at the mention of Djokovic, the unvaccinated Serbian star who was deported from the country on the eve of the tournament after his visa was revoked and his appeal denied.Medvedev is not usually affected by crowd disapproval — see the 2019 U.S. Open — but he took diplomatic cover this time: quickly mentioning “Rafa” and “Roger” as potential influences, too, and getting a cheer for his efforts.But Djokovic, popular or not, is the champion Medvedev has been channeling in Melbourne.“During all the matches, as soon as I was down a little bit, I was like, ‘Just be like Novak. Show him that you are better,’” he said referring to his opposition.So far, that has been just good enough for Medvedev, the highest men’s seed in the tournament. Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open champion, would have been seeded No. 1. Though his absence has affected the competitive balance, it has not kept this tournament from providing plenty of entertainment and a worthy final four. More

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      Is Tennis Moving Into a New Golden Age? We Can Only Hope.

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      It will be hard to let go of aging stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, and troubled ones like Novak Djokovic. But the time is coming, if it is not already here.There was something for everyone. Roger Federer’s linen grace. Rafael Nadal’s punishing power. Novak Djokovic and his single-minded determination. The unwavering way Serena Williams dismantled tired tradition.For two decades, professional tennis bathed in the golden glow provided by an unalterable hierarchy of players with distinctive styles and personalities that combined to define the game in the 21st century.But time, and the coronavirus, changes everything.For the second major championship in a row, as the Australian Open plays out in searing Melbourne heat, Federer and Williams find themselves at home, healing from injuries at age 40. We may never see them play top-flight tennis again.Gone, too, of course, is Djokovic.It’s unclear when the world No. 1 will return to major championship play, and how the scorn of fans will affect a player who has spent his career yearning for adoration. Depending on how the pandemic unfolds, tennis’s most famed vaccine refusenik could end up barred from traveling to the countries hosting the year’s biggest tournaments, imperiling his quest to break well past the 20 Grand Slam logjam he is in with Federer and Nadal.Of the golden quartet, only Nadal made his way to Melbourne. A well-worn 35, he is coming off a foot injury that kept him out of the mix for most of last year.He looked sharp during the Australian’s early stanza, perhaps good enough to summon greatness again and raise the championship trophy for a second time. Even if he does, how much longer can the Nadal we have known be the Nadal we revere?What in tennis can be counted on anymore?Nothing.The days when the game could lean on the showstopping power of its rock star quartet to lure fans and add excitement — the days of penciling them in as locks to make at least the semifinals of every major title — those days are done.Remember when Naomi Osaka was supposed to be the next big thing? Right now, her last major title win, the Australian Open last winter, seems in this time-warped stretch as if it occurred a decade rather than a year ago.She left last year’s French Open midstream, using the occasion to open up about the anxiety and depression sitting heavy on her shoulders. She skipped Wimbledon, needing time away from the grind and glare. She lost early at the U.S. Open and the Tokyo Olympics. Last week, Osaka’s bid to repeat at Melbourne ended at the hands of the world’s 60th-ranked player.Remember Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez, the upstart teenagers who electrified last summer’s U.S. Open by making the women’s finals? Neither has done much since. Fernandez lost in the first round last week. Raducanu got tossed off in the second.Maybe there’s a silver lining in the game’s newfound uncertainty. Free of the shadow cast by the biggest stars, it’s easier to gain enthusiasm for a wider cast.During the initial week at Melbourne Park, that meant marveling at Amanda Anisimova, 20, as she ripped backhand winners past Osaka in an upset win. Or watching Carlos Alcaraz, 18, sprint, slide and stretch to keep a point alive before suddenly hauling off and smacking a full-throttle winner.Uncertainty provided more shine to the young Italian Jannik Sinner, as stunningly gifted an upstart as there is, as he pressed his way through the draw.Ashleigh Barty in action during her fourth-round match against Amanda Anisimova.Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/ReutersIt put more focus on Ashleigh Barty, last year’s Wimbledon champion, possessor of the smoothest game this side of Federer.Will Daniil Medvedev, who crushed Djokovic’s Grand Slam dreams by beating the Serb to win the 2021 U.S. Open, wrest away the world No. 1 ranking? What happens if he becomes one of the game’s consistent standard-bearers?In Melbourne last week, Medvedev flashed his quirky and almost unfathomable game. Several of his strokes look as if they were self-taught and honed at a craggy public park by playing with duffers — the reflex volley with one hand on the racket’s throat, the gawky forehand that sometimes ends with legs splayed and a strangulating follow-through.As Medvedev often has at Flushing Meadows, he showed he can be an engaging champion — witty, open and more than willing to play the villain with a wink.This year, the typically rowdy Australian Open crowd has been using Cristiano Ronaldo’s famed “Siuuu!” celebration shout during matches. That has angered several players, Medvedev included, who thought the chants were boos during his victory over Nick Kyrgios. As we might expect based on his past shenanigans at the U.S. Open, Medvedev raised hackles from the crowd when he scolded them for the chant in an on-court interview.He later explained with his customary willingness to draw ire: “It’s not everybody who is doing it. But those who are doing it probably have a low I.Q.”Imagine Federer saying such a thing about fans. Impossible. But maybe that’s a good and energizing change.It is difficult to let go of a generation.A new era has arrived. All we can do is embrace it, wait patiently, and hope for the best. More

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      An Unplayed Australian Open Is a Turning Point for Novak Djokovic

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      Djokovic has rebounded from demoralizing periods in the past, but talented players are coming behind him, and his anti-vaccine stance has made him a global target.MELBOURNE, Australia — Even after being ejected from Australia, Novak Djokovic will remain No. 1 in the men’s tennis rankings at the end of the Australian Open, which began on Monday without him.He still holds the titles at the French Open and Wimbledon; still has supple limbs, formidable tennis skills and a deep history of resilience in the face of hostile crowds and long odds.But in a what-have-you-won-for-me-lately sport that is often categorized by eras and the champions who define them, it would come as no surprise if Sunday marked a turning point, symbolized by his long, grim walk to the airport gate in Melbourne under the escort of immigration officials.Djokovic is 34, and as he left Australia against his will after his visa was canceled, a new generation of taller, talented stars in men’s tennis was preparing to pursue the title at the Grand Slam tournament he has dominated like no other and may never play again, if his three-year ban from the country is not rescinded.“This certainly could knock him back,” John Isner, a friend of Djokovic’s and one of the top-ranked American players, said on Sunday. “I honestly don’t know which way it will go. It could take him a long time to recover, or light a fire under him.”Djokovic has rebounded from demoralizing periods in the past and resumed winning. In 2017, after perhaps the most dominant phase of his career, he struggled with his motivation and lost his edge for more than a year amid personal problems and a persistent right elbow injury. He had a commitment to natural healing that foreshadowed his decision not to be vaccinated for the coronavirus. But after playing and struggling at the Australian Open in 2018 with his elbow supported by a compression sleeve, he decided, tearfully he has said, to undergo surgery.Five months later, he was a Grand Slam champion again, winning the 2018 Wimbledon title and soon re-establishing himself as No. 1, at the expense of his career-long rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.In early 2020, Djokovic was still on a roll, starting the year with 18 straight victories before the pandemic shut down the sport for five months in 2020. He organized an ill-advised exhibition tour in Serbia and Croatia in June during the enforced break that turned into a superspreader event and public-relations bonfire as he and other players and team members, including Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic, danced and partied unmasked in a Balkan nightclub, thoroughly out of sync with the global mood.The tour was canceled. Djokovic; his wife, Jelena; Ivanisevic; and others tested positive for the coronavirus, and when Djokovic did return to Grand Slam action, at the 2020 U.S. Open, he proceeded to eliminate himself from the tournament in the fourth round by hitting a ball in frustration after losing his serve and inadvertently hitting a lineswoman in the throat. He was defaulted by the tournament referee and returned to Europe to regroup. A young Austrian, Dominic Thiem, eventually won the title.After all the dubious decisions and dents to his image, another Djokovic tailspin was hardly out of the question, but in a reflection of his tenacity and talent, he roared back in 2021 with one of his finest seasons: winning the first three Grand Slam tournaments and coming within one match of achieving the first men’s Grand Slam in singles in 52 years before losing to Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final.That display of resilience in 2021 should give pause to all those who might expect Djokovic to curl himself into a ball on the floor of his Monte Carlo apartment in the aftermath of the Australian affair.A spectator inspected a banner of the 2021 champion on opening day at the Australian Open. Darrian Traynor/Getty ImagesWe are talking about a player who became a champion despite growing up in Belgrade during the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, when NATO bombing forced him to interrupt tennis practices. He left home at 12 for a tennis academy in Germany as his parents and family borrowed and improvised to fund his training in the hope that the sport would be his route, and theirs, to better days. Djokovic told me that his father, Srdjan, once gathered the family and slammed a 10 Deutsche mark on the kitchen table and explained that this was all the money they had left.“He said that more than ever we have to stick together and go through this together and figure out the way,” Djokovic said in that interview. “That was a very powerful and very impactful moment in my growth, my life, all of our lives.”What is one deportation in comparison with all of that?The answer seems self-evident, but the body blows can add up. Djokovic is accustomed to being the outsider, to hearing the roars of support for Federer and other opponents and winning anyway. He has even gone so far as to imagine that the crowds are chanting his name instead, but he has never been a global target to this degree.Though he insists he does not want to be an anti-vaccine champion, the fallout from his iconoclastic stance in Australia — he is one of only three top-100 men’s players to be unvaccinated — means that he will be indelibly associated with the issue. And as long as he remains unvaccinated, he will face challenges entering some other countries and tournaments.Energy is one of Djokovic’s hallmarks. Spend time with him one on one and his life force and restless curiosity come through, but he has expended a great deal of effort in recent years on causes beyond winning tennis matches: taking on the status quo on the men’s tour and creating a new player group to promote — so far unsuccessfully — change and more decision-making power for players at all levels of the rankings. He has helped start a new tournament in Belgrade, done charitable work in Serbia and the Balkan region and has cooperated with a behind-the-scenes documentary that is expected be released in 2022.It should have no dearth of content: no shortage of major triumphs and brutal setbacks. At what point does it all dull his edge? The answer could be right about now.The Novak Djokovic Standoff With AustraliaCard 1 of 5A vaccine exemption question. More

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      With a Second ATP Finals Win, Alexander Zverev Proves He Is Rising

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      This year gave the 24-year-old German star six singles titles, Olympic gold, an ATP Finals trophy, but also an ongoing tour investigation into allegations of physical abuse against a former girlfriend. TURIN, Italy — It was about the match at hand on Sunday as Alexander Zverev confidently rumbled to his second career title at the ATP Finals with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Daniil Medvedev.Zverev, ripping unreturnable serves and spectacular swing volleys, did not face a break point against an exceedingly talented opponent who had beaten him five times in a row and stolen quite a bit of his thunder in recent seasons as the most successful man in their age group.But Sunday was also about the matches and the season to come, which was why Zverev, who won the trophy in 2018, did not wait long in his post-victory interview to reference 2022 with a slight smile on his stubbled face.No man has won the ATP Finals twice who has not risen to No. 1 in the rankings and won multiple Grand Slam singles titles.For the moment, Zverev, 24, has yet to reach the top spot and yet to win one of the four major titles that remain tennis’ litmus tests of greatness.Will he be an unfortunate exception? It is hard to believe so with his up-to-date skill set.“I kind of have succeeded on every single level, and there’s one thing missing,” he said, referring to a Grand Slam title. “I hope I can do that next year.”He has exceptional power and reach and, like Medvedev, remarkable mobility at 6-foot-6. He has one of the best first serves and backhands in the world and improved court positioning and a shored-up forehand that was often a decisive punch down the stretch in Turin as he knocked out the world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in a three-set semifinal and then the second-ranked Medvedev in a match much shorter in length and thrills.“I feel like it’s inevitable Zverev is going to win a major,” said Patrick McEnroe, the ESPN analyst and former U.S. Davis Cup captain. “I’ve been saying for a couple years that he’s been knocking on the door. Now he’s banging on it.”He was already pounding loudly in 2020 at the U.S. Open, where he lost in a nervy, five-set final to Dominic Thiem in which Zverev lost a two-set lead and both players seemed to shrink from the prospect of breaking through.But though Zverev did not reach a Grand Slam final in 2021, this has been a reaffirming year with six singles titles, including the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo after stopping Djokovic along the way. Zverev, long considered soft when it mattered most, seems more clearheaded under duress and better at making tactical shifts and smart decisions on the fly.“He’s been a great player for a long time,” said Mischa Zverev, his brother, who has been coaching him in their father Alexander’s absence from the tour. “Sascha has all the shots, that big serve and big backhand and is moving well. But I think this week he really played intelligent tennis and was truly an all-rounder. I even saw him hit a backhand slice down the line and come to net to finish off the volley. He stepped it up when he needed to and was very patient when necessary. He mixed up his serve very well and mixed up the pace of his shots very well.”After complaining of weariness and losing quickly to Medvedev in the semifinals of the Paris Masters indoors earlier this month, Zverev came back at him with conviction in Turin, losing in the round-robin in a third-set tiebreaker after holding a match point and then raising the bar on Sunday, reading the flow of play, including Medvedev’s increasingly desperate drop shots.Daniil Medvedev was overpowered by Zverev.Julian Finney/Getty Images“It was almost like he used all his senses to play today,” Mischa Zverev said of his brother. “As much as seeing the ball and feeling it when it touches the racket, he was literally trying to think a few steps ahead, trying to listen to the crowd and the way the opponent hits the ball, soaking up all the information he could get and using it to his advantage.”It was an impressive performance but Zverev, despite his big-bang game and capacity to charm in three languages, remains a divisive figure who is difficult for many spectators to fully embrace because of the ongoing tour investigation into his alleged physical violence against a former girlfriend, Olya Sharypova. Other sports might have suspended him until the resolution of such an investigation, but men’s tennis, lacking a clear policy until this year, has allowed him to keep playing (and keep winning).He has denied the allegations of abuse, made by Sharypova in media interviews, and said that he welcomes the inquiry so he can clear his name. He has said he has been able to play so well in 2021 because he knows the truth and is confident that he will eventually be vindicated. But his performance has been a display of compartmentalization, surely not as straightforward as Zverev has made it look.“I’m his brother, so I’ve always had faith and belief in him from the day he was born,” said Mischa Zverev, who is 10 years older and preceded him on tour. “But yes, to win six tournaments, two Masters finals and Olympic gold, that’s a great year for anybody and especially with the things that were going on off the court, it’s more so impressive.”But there is a cost, both in lost sponsorship and lost support.“I think it’s affected him personally a lot more than he’s let on,” McEnroe said. “These allegations hanging over him are very uncomfortable, and we can only hope it works out for everybody, including the young woman in this situation. But the larger issue for tennis if I put on my ESPN hat and former U.S.T.A. hat is that, let’s be honest, these young guys at the moment are not moving the needle for tennis the same way the older guys have. They are not selling tickets the first week of the U.S. Open the same way that Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have been doing.”Medvedev shook hands with Zverev after their final match.Guglielmo Mangiapane/ReutersThere is an achievement gap, of course. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Djokovic have been dueling for 15 years and have won 20 Grand Slam singles titles apiece. But there is also an appeal gap with Zverev’s off-court issues and with Stefanos Tsitsipas, fairly or unfairly, having to fend off accusations of gamesmanship this summer because of his extended off-court breaks during matches and taking criticism after saying he didn’t see a need for someone his age to get a Covid-19 vaccine, though he later said he planned to get the shot.For now, Medvedev seems the most broadly appealing of the lead pack: an unorthodox, occasionally contortionist player and creative conversationalist who engages with and sometimes confronts a crowd (as he did again in Turin) but generally with a twinkle in his eye.He senses the concern about the future of men’s tennis but knows his history. There were doomsayers when Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe retired, doomsayers when Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi retired, but along came new champions and rivalries that gathered gravitas.“Tennis is a great sport, so I don’t see why our generation would miss on something,” Medvedev said. “Of course, maybe we don’t do 20 Grand Slams, yet nobody did before Roger, Rafa and Novak, so they were also worse than them if we can say like this. It’s definitely not going to be a shame.”For now, Medvedev, 25, has one major title, which came at this year’s U.S. Open where he stopped Djokovic’s Grand Slam attempt in the final. For now, Zverev has none and has yet to defeat a top-10 player in a Grand Slam tournament, but as he and his brother head to the Maldives for a break after a confidence-building season, Zverev is already flashing ahead to 2022.“My gut tells me and not even my gut, my brain, my eyes, my senses tell me he has the talent and has everything needed to win a Grand Slam,” Mischa Zverev said. “I believe it will happen soon, but that it will never happen is also a possibility. I can’t predict the future, but I always believed he could be No. 1 and will win Grand Slams, and I still believe that.” More

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      Zverev Defeats Djokovic and Will Play Medvedev in ATP Finals

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      The world No. 1 is increasingly under threat on hardcourts from younger, taller players — like the two men who will play in the finals on Sunday.TURIN, Italy — There will be no record-tying sixth victory in the ATP Finals for Novak Djokovic.Alexander Zverev made sure of that. So did the top-ranked Djokovic’s uncharacteristically shaky play early in the third set, which gave the long-limbed, big-serving Zverev all the elbow room he required to close out his 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 victory in the semifinals on Saturday night.There was also no clarity on whether Djokovic will try to win a record-extending 10th singles title at the 2022 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament where players will be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Djokovic, who has declined to divulge his vaccination status, had said that he would make his decision about traveling to Australia once the tournament announced its policy. It became official on Saturday, but he chose to remain noncommittal about the event, which begins on Jan. 17.“Now that I know, we’ll just have to wait and see,” he said.Djokovic has had a remarkably successful season, winning three major singles titles and coming within one match of completing the Grand Slam at the U.S. Open. At age 34, once considered an advanced tennis age, he will finish the year at No. 1 for a record seventh time.But he is also increasingly under threat on hardcourts, be they outdoors or indoors, from the younger and taller set. Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have taken turns thwarting Djokovic’s big plans and tennis dreams in the past four months. It is hardly a great surprise that the second-ranked Medvedev and the third-ranked Zverev will meet in the final on Sunday.“We’re not that young anymore, 25 and 24, so not that young,” said Zverev, who turned 24 in April. “And we’re starting to break through. He’s a Grand Slam champion, and I’m an Olympic gold medalist, and maybe we both put that on the line tomorrow.”Alexander Zverev last won the ATP Tour Finals in 2018.Alessandro Di Marco/EPA, via ShutterstockBoth achievements came at Djokovic’s expense. Djokovic has never won an Olympic gold medal, and he was on the brink when he faced Zverev in the semifinals of the Tokyo Games in July. He won the first set 6-1 and went up an early service break in the third. But Djokovic’s level dropped significantly from there.“It was almost as if he wanted it too much,” Roger Federer, one of Djokovic’s career-long rivals, said in an interview with Sky Italia on Saturday.Zverev rallied to win the gold medal, the most significant victory of his career.Djokovic, deflated, did not play again until the U.S. Open, where he won his first six matches, including a five-set thriller against Zverev in the semifinals, to give himself the chance to play for the Grand Slam against Medvedev.But instead of Djokovic breaking his tie with Federer and Rafael Nadal by winning a 21st Grand Slam singles title, Medvedev became a first-time Grand Slam champion.Djokovic thinks Zverev, who has yet to beat Djokovic in a best-of-five-set match, is close to joining the club. It was hard to dismiss the notion after watching Zverev rip serves in the clutch and often get the better of Djokovic in grueling, high-velocity baseline rallies.“He’s a great guy, fantastic tennis player, I’m sure soon to be a Grand Slam champion,” Djokovic said late Saturday night after embracing Zverev at the net.It was easy to forget amid the bonhomie that Zverev remains under investigation by the men’s tour because of allegations of physical abuse from a former girlfriend Olya Sharypova. She has filed no formal charges but has given a detailed account of the accusations in media interviews. Zverev, who has denied abusing Sharypova, has welcomed the investigation as a chance to clear his name. He has managed to thrive on court despite the controversy.But the Olympic gold medal has boosted Zverev’s confidence. It is a happy memory he taps into by frequently wearing his German Olympic team warm-up suit before matches.Both he and Medvedev won the ATP Finals when this elite, itinerant eight-man event was held at the O2 Arena in London: Zverev in 2018 and Medvedev in 2020. Now, they will face each other in Turin, where the tournament has moved for a five-year run with a similar deep-blue color scheme and a rather quicker court.Both are 6-foot-6 with big wingspans and excellent mobility, which can make them exceedingly difficult to break down. But Medvedev has had the clear edge, winning their last five matches over the past two seasons, including their round-robin match this week by the narrowest of margins, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6).Daniil Medvedev defeated Casper Ruud to earn a berth in the ATP Tour Finals.Marco Bertorello/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesThe speed of the court does not make Medvedev’s huge and elastic serve any easier to handle. But the conditions may help Zverev’s bigger serve even more. Djokovic, the game’s supreme returner, could break him just once on Saturday and even when Djokovic guessed correctly on the location of Zverev’s serves, he was often unable to reach them.Djokovic also served brilliantly through much of the match, using his precision to hit 15 aces to Zverev’s 14. But at 1-2 in the third set, he played his worst service game, opening with a smooth forehand winner, then making three consecutive forehand unforced errors and eventually losing the edgy game by dumping a backhand into the net.“Just wasted really the match in that game,” Djokovic said. “Four unforced errors. In the conditions like this where you have one of the biggest servers in the game, it’s just difficult to come back from that.”The result deepened Djokovic’s drought at the ATP Finals, which he last won in 2015. Though Djokovic has broken or matched some of Federer’s most significant records, including total weeks at No. 1, Federer still holds the record for most victories at the ATP Finals with six.While Federer, now 40, is sidelined indefinitely because of major knee surgery, Djokovic plays on, although perhaps not in Australia in 2022. He has made it clear that he does not believe vaccination for Covid should be required, and yet the state government of Victoria in Australia has made it mandatory for the Australian Open.Zverev went out of his way on Saturday to compliment and support Djokovic: “He’s the greatest player of all time, and people forget that sometimes,” Zverev said in his post-match interview. “I think everybody should appreciate that.”He said he hoped Djokovic would be able to play in Melbourne but acknowledged the obstacles.“Look, this is a very tough one, because it’s very political,” Zverev said. “This is about the virus that is going on, right? This is not about a tournament or tennis. We are visiting a different country. At the end of the day, the country is allowing us to enter. We need to follow the rules and follow the guidelines.”Tournament officials have given no indication that any exceptions will be made to the policy, and the Australian Open could be the first of numerous tour events to require vaccination next season.“At the end of the day, I’m No. 3 in the world, so if he doesn’t play, it’s easier to win the tournament,” Zverev said.But even though Djokovic did play in Turin, he is no longer in the running. The trophy will go to one of the two other, younger men who have shined most brightly on court in 2021. More

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      The Whirlwind of a Rising Daniil Medvedev

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      He won his first Grand Slam this year and is ranked No. 2, and his impressed peers call him a genius and an octopus.Watching Daniil Medvedev speak is like watching a tornado from inside Dorothy’s farmhouse in “The Wizard of Oz.” His thoughts whirl at such a rapid clip that you do not even have time to run to a storm cellar.Then it becomes clear: Medvedev, the world No. 2 and winner of this year’s United States Open, answers questions a little like he plays tennis — fast and furious, seemingly without stopping to take a breath.“The most important thing is that I’m trying to be myself on the court,” he said on a video chat from Paris when told that his peers have described him as a chess master, a genius and an octopus. “I’m just trying to play good tennis and win matches. Then I let other people decide what they think.”In September, Medvedev, 25, of Russia, served as the ultimate spoiler when he upset the world No. 1, Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to win his first major at the U.S. Open. Djokovic had already won the Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon in 2021, and a win at the U.S. Open would have made him just the sixth singles player, and third man, to capture the Grand Slam. Medvedev’s win also denied Djokovic a record-breaking 21st career major. Instead, he, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are still tied with 20 majors apiece.“He has definitely improved a lot, and the Grand Slam win at the U.S. Open did not come as a surprise to me,” Djokovic said. “He has a tremendous serve, and he hits his spots in the box incredibly well. That’s the biggest weapon of his game, without a doubt.“Then, of course, that backhand is very flat, and he’s just as strong as a wall from that side,” Djokovic added. “He just doesn’t miss. And he’s improved his forehand a lot. He’s very professional and very smart on the court. He’s game savvy. He understands how to use the court, how to position himself when he’s defending, when he’s attacking. His net game has improved as well, so he doesn’t hesitate to come forward. Nowadays he’s become a more all-around player, more complete and, as a result, he’s a Grand Slam champion.”Djokovic, right, defeated Medvedev, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, to win the Paris Masters last week.Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesMedvedev is trying to defend his championship at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, which begins Sunday and has moved from London to Turin, Italy, this year. Last year, Medvedev beat Alexander Zverev, Djokovic, Diego Schwartzman, Nadal and Dominic Thiem to capture the title.When Medvedev first ascended to No. 2 in March, it was, in large part, because he won his last 10 matches of 2020 and his first 10 of 2021. He was finally stopped by Djokovic in the Australian Open final in February.“Daniil has perfected the game that he’s playing that not many players can play,” said the fourth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has lost to Medvedev six of the eight times they have played. “I call him ‘octopus’ for a reason. He’s just able to get balls that not many people are able to.”It is odd, then, that Medvedev constantly refers to his flagging self confidence.“There was a moment when I was not confident in myself,” he said. “I was doubting a few things about my physical abilities, my tennis abilities. I was in doubt, which is what tennis is all about. Then I won these two amazing tournaments [2020 Rolex Paris Masters and Nitto ATP Finals], beat a lot of top players, got a boost of confidence where I was like, ‘OK, I believe in myself. There is no reason not to believe anymore.’”“I call him ‘octopus’ for a reason,” said Stefanos Tsitsipas of Medvedev. “He’s just able to get balls that not many people are able to.”Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/ReutersMedvedev was never a prodigy. He was not ranked No. 1 in the juniors, never even went beyond the third round at any of the major junior tournaments. But that did not stop him from aspiring to play among the best.“I was never even in the quarters of a slam,” Medvedev said. “But when you come to these Grand Slams, no matter if you’re ranked 30, 20 or I think I was 13 at the max, you see all these top players that you look at on TV and they actually do normal things. They eat, they take a shower, they go play matches, they can even laugh with you juniors. And you actually feel in a way that you belong with this group.”Before Medvedev ever played tennis, he said he was known in the family for his temper tantrums around the house. His two older sisters, Julia and Elena, were powerless to control him.“I remember when I was 4 years old, I was a little bit ‘wanty,’” Medvedev said with a chuckle. “Like if I wanted something I could start crying. I think that’s the part that could sometimes show on the tennis court, especially when I was younger, because the thing is, what do you want on the tennis court? You want to win.”Medevedev has proved his petulance more than once in his pro career. In 2016, he was defaulted from a Challenger match in Savannah, Ga., for suggesting that the chair umpire was favoring his opponent based on race.Then, during the 2019 U.S. Open, Medvedev was booed by the New York crowd during a match against Feliciano Lopez when he got a warning from the umpire for tossing his racket and then snatching a towel from a ball man. As the fans roared their disapproval, Medvedev tugged on his ear, imploring them to continue.Then, during his post-match interview, Medvedev told the crowd: “Thank you all, guys, because your energy tonight gave me the win. If you were not here, guys, I would probably lose the match. So I want all of you to know, when you sleep tonight, I won because of you.”Medvedev was booed by the New York crowd during his match against Feliciano Lopez at the 2019 U.S. Open.Dominick Reuter/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesThe crowd responded by booing even louder. Medvedev won his next three matches before he was beaten by Nadal in the final.Just before the start of the Paris Masters in October, Medvedev and Djokovic had a two-hour practice session at the Mouratoglou Academy on the French Riviera. It was the first time the two had seen each other since their U.S. Open final in September. They chatted for 15 minutes after the practice, but neither one mentioned their encounter in New York.“It’s normal, no matter if you lose or win you don’t speak about these matches because there’s going to be one loser who’s not going to want to speak about it,” said Medvedev, who also lost to Djokovic last Sunday in the final of the Paris Masters. “And when I win I also don’t want to say, ‘Hey, remember …’”When Medvedev was about 14, he said, he read the book “Eragon” by Christopher Paolini. He was so captivated by the fantastical story about magic, glory and power that he read all 528 pages in three nights, at the same time imagining he was part of that world.Now that he is enmeshed in his own fantastical world, Medvedev refuses to revel in it.“I don’t look back too much in my life,” he said. “I like to think about the present and the future more than the past, even if the past is good. I use it more as confidence, to say, ‘Wow, I managed to win, to beat Novak in the final of a slam.’ I’m going to use it more if I have doubt in my career, which can happen.“If you lose first round or quarters of some tournaments, maybe two in a row, you’re always going to have questions, like ‘Am I going to be able to come back?’ That’s when you can look back at this match and say to yourself, ‘Wow, it’s possible.’” More