Andy Murray warned about 'strict' Australian Covid rules before Djokovic row

ANDY MURRAY warned about the "strict" Covid requirements players at the Australian Open would face during a throwback interview before the recent controversy surrounding Novak Djokovic.

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Medvedev Blunts Cressy Attack, Reaches QFs

Daniil Medvedev faced a different challenge at the Australian Open Monday, but once again he found the answers to reach the quarter-finals in Melbourne for the second time.

The second seed survived a serve-and-volley onslaught from a resilient Maxime Cressy, downing the American 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-5 in three hours and 30 minutes on Margaret Court Arena.

Medvedev returned from deep behind the baseline as he looked to find the toes of the incoming 6’ 6” Cressy on his groundstrokes. The Russian crucially saved one set point on serve at 5-6, 30/40 in the second set, raising his level in the key moments to maintain his Australian Open title bid.

Cressy’s serve-and-volley tactics have had success this season, with the World No. 70 reaching the Melbourne Summer Set final, before advancing to the last 16 here at Melbourne Park.

The 24-year-old, who won 66 per cent (89/135) of net points against Medvedev, put pressure on Medvedev throughout, but could ultimately not find a way past the World No. 2, with Medvedev blunting Cressy’s attack with brutal ball striking in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

With his victory, the 25-year-old extended his recent strong hard-court major record. The 13-time tour-level titlist went 13-1 at the Australian Open and US Open in 2021, winning his maiden Grand Slam crown in New York.

The Russian, who has dropped just two sets so far in Melbourne, reached the championship match at the Australian Open last season (l. to Djokovic) but will aim to go one step further this week, next facing ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime after the Canadian defeated Croatian Marin Cilic 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-2, 7-6(4).

In a fast start against Cressy, Medvedev broke in the third game to gain early control. In a strong first-set performance, the Russian did not face a break point and played with consistency off the ground, committing just one unforced error to move ahead.

Cressy was able to stay with the Russian in the second set though to halt the Russian’s rhythm, winning 85 per cent (22/26) of his first-serve points. He conjured up the only break point in the set, which was a set point at 6-5, 40/30, but Medvedev demonstrated his defensive skills to stay alive, covering the court well to eventually flick a winner past Cressy after a brutal exchange.

The World No. 2 made use of his lifeline, raising his level in the tie-break to go further clear. But Cressy refused to go away, punching volleys through the court as he reduced the deficit, winning four straight points from 3/4 in the third-set tie-break to gain a foothold in the match.

In a tight fourth set, Medvedev had to remain patient, squandering eight break points in the set, before he finally broke in the 11th game when he fired a forehand winner down the line. He then held to love to seal his hard-fought win.

Cressy was competing in the fourth round at a major for the first time, having defeated John Isner, Tomas Machac and Christopher O’Connell in Melbourne. The Paris-born American was aiming to become the 80th American man in the Open Era to reach the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam.

Did You Know?
Medvedev is the fifth Russian man in the Open Era to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open on multiple occasions, joining Yevgeny Kafelnikov (5), Nikolay Davydenko (4), Aleksandar Metreveli (3) and Marat Safin (3).

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Novak Djokovic 'animated' by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer fight after Aus Open nightmare

NOVAK DJOKOVIC was sensationally prevented from playing at this month's Australian Open.

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Emma Raducanu's admission about the Queen after receiving message of support

EMMA RADUCANU has made an admission about the Queen after the monarch contacted her following her US Open win in September.

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Zverev blasted for comments with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic comparison

ALEXANDER ZVEREV crashed out of the Australian Open after being beaten by Denis Shapovalov in straight sets.

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Novak Djokovic 'different' comment made as Zlatan Ibrahimovic discusses Aus Open debacle

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC has weighed into the debate surrounding Novak Djokovic's deportation from Australia.

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Gamers: Monfils On His Video Game Origins & Respect For Esports Athletes

Gael Monfils is into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, where he will play Matteo Berrettini for a place in the last four. Before that showdown, get to know more about the Frenchman's love of video games and the esports industry.

ATPTour.com spoke to Monfils about how he first got into video games as a teen, what he enjoys about Twitch, his favourite streamers and more.

Tell us about your love of video games. When did you start playing, and what are some of the earliest games you remember playing?
It was on the first Nintendo, I enjoyed playing with my dad. Then one Christmas I got the Super Nintendo and started to play a lot of Dragon Ball Z. Then in a tournament in Paris, I think I was 13, the winner would get the PlayStation 1. You had to win it. It was a big goal for me, and then I won it and I started to be a fan of the PlayStation. I played Final Fantasy, and then it kept escalating with computers and everything.

What are you playing at the moment?
I play quite a lot of games. I play FIFA, Warzone, 2K, World Tour Tennis, Mario Tennis. I want to start playing World of Warcraft. I play Naruto. I play every game. I won’t say I have one game especially, but different genres, different types of games.

It is quite funny playing [Mario Tennis]. I think people love it. You get superpowers. I really like when you can hit some big smashes, you have a target.

Watch Gael Takes A Monfils Quiz:

What is your home setup like?
I have got three screens, a big tower, a stream deck, the lights, the Elgato to stream from the TV, the Xbox and the computer. That’s pretty much everything.

What do you take with you on the road? What are the challenges of travelling and transporting everything?
I bring my computer because I play a lot of Magic: The Gathering. I play a lot of that, so I just bring my computer. Sometimes I bring my PlayStation but most of the time I bring my computer. That’s enough to play all the games I like. I just put it in the backpack.

Which ATP Tour players do you play video games with? What do you guys play?
I play with quite a lot. We like to share some moments together, especially the ones you get along with quite well. We play quite a lot together. A lot of players are good, I won’t give names.

How did you get into Twitch?
For a long time, I have been a fan of Twitch and been looking up some streamers. During lockdown, I thought it would be a good time for me to step onto the platform and try myself. I have just been a big fan of gamers on Twitch.

I started to really like the community and the exchange, and I saw that it could be maybe more than just the gaming, so I really like the platform for that. During the lockdown I was Twitching a lot, but I was doing some more hobbies and am a big fan of watches… it was another hobby among my hobbies.

Who are some of your favorite Twitch streamers/content creators?
They are French. One is Domingo and [the other is] Ponce. Those are two guys I really like to watch.

You also used Twitch in some other ways. How much fun was all that for you?
What you can do on the platform is stream some practices, and definitely having a show during the [Nitto ATP] Finals was a very good experience. That you could handle a show and have a good exchange with the community was a great experience.

As a tennis player, you’re now considered a ‘traditional sports’ athlete. What are your thoughts on the massive rise of esports/esports athletes?
It is very good, because I think sometimes people don’t see how hard it is for the esports athletes to be on the top of the game. It requires a lot of practice and a lot of hard work, and some people think it is just video games. But it is not. I would like to see it a little bit from the inside, and I really hope people will get it. It’s definitely hard work. Esports are a big thing.

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