It’s very simple. Daniil Medvedev beat Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4, 6-2 in Beijing, two sets, clean, and afterwards he said he preferred three sets at the Grand Slams. I said it back in January. Well, in January I was saying five sets, but the spirit was there.
He said, according to Univers Tennis relayed by Tennis Actu: “Since I was young, I’ve been saying: ‘Listen, I prefer three sets.’ So if you ask me, let’s play three.” He also admits it would “clearly take something away from the history of the Grand Slam tournaments”. A player who gives his opinion and the opposite opinion in the same answer. I know the technique. I’ve been using it for years, nobody listens to me.
Me, in Kitzbühel, in ’92, against a future top 10, we played three. Or five. The context was different, it was freezing and we’d started late. What I do know is that in the third set I was leading. By the fifth, the match was already over, so the question didn’t arise.
Careful, I’m not saying the opposite of what I said. I’m clarifying. Five sets is history, it’s the one-handed backhand of formats, the only real one. But three sets is the future, and the future, I saw it coming. In ninety per cent of cases, and I’m being kind, a five-set match is decided in the first three. I predicted both, so I’m right twice.
Jean-Pol, you lost your last interclubs match, Belgium’s weekend team league, in a super tie-break. You wanted four sets.
Medvedev also said: “I’m just a player. I play.” Me, I’m a consultant. I consult. All right?
It’s true, we checked: Tennis Actu.
