Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will meet in the first of the two star-studded semifinals at the 2023 Vienna Open.
There was a tense moment between Tsisipas and Medvedev a few years ago when they were both fairly young and just starting out. They exchanged words at the net after Medvedev beat Tsitsipas, and they weren't words of praise.
The Greek called Medvedev a bulls**t Russian while Medvedev responded with 'small boy, who can't fight'. The whole situation had to be overlooked by the umpire who jumped in.
Head-to-head:
We've seen numerous battles between them after that on the ATP Tour, 12 to be precise, and Medvedev had more success. He leads the matchup 8-4, with the only match this year going the Russian's way as well. Tsitsipas did beat him twice last year, which were great wins for him.
He danced after one of those wins, which is why Medvedev danced this year after beating him in Rome. Moves like that show us that the 'small boy' and 'b.s. Russian' from the past haven't been fully forgotten. Their rivalry is more than just a simple rivalry.
They really don't like each other, which is great as it makes this upcoming match in Vienna a really fun one to watch.
Prediction:
So what might happen here? Well, a couple of things. The matchup is on hard courts and generally favours Medvedev more. I like how he plays Tsitsipas, but the Greek can and has beaten him. It mostly comes down to how well he plays.
He hasn't played well lately, but he's looked pretty solid in Vienna. The same is true for Medvedev. He's played well here, but nothing extraordinary. Even so, the previous matchups show me that Medvedev is far more likely to win in this spot, so I'll back him.
Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in three sets.
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