"One player gonna die, and they're gonna see" - Daniil Medvedev raises questions about inhumane playing conditions at US Open

Daniil Medvedev secured his spot in the semifinals of the 2023 US Open, taking down compatriot Andrey Rublev in straight sets on Wednesday. But the Russian was not happy with the conditions in New York, where the days are unusually hot this time around.

Medvedev trailed by a break in all three sets before coming back each time to beat Rublev 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was the second match of the day session, with Aryna Sabalenka and Qinwen Zheng playing their quarterfinals first (straight-sets victory for the Belarusian).

Players have been complaining all fortnight about the heat at Flushing Meadows. In fact, the roof was partly closed on Tuesday for Novak Djokovic's quarterfinal fixture against Taylor Fritz in order to create a partial shadow and provide players with a little respite.

Medvedev felt the effect of the heat even more during the tiring encounter against Rublev and had to call for the physio on more than one occasion. During breaks, Medvedev was seen holding an iced towel over his head to cool off.

At one point, the former World No. 1 was so frustrated at being forced to play under such conditions that he looked right into the camera and said:

"Cannot imagine. One player gonna die, and they're gonna see."

The former US Open champion had expressed a similar sentiment following his fourth-round win over Alex de Minaur, saying that it was impossible to play under such humid conditions. He also pointed out that it was a struggle for all the players at the tournament.

"I don't think it was possible. I was thinking about this during the first set when I was struggling more than him. I was like, I feel like I work a lot. I don't want to compare myself to other tennis players. Just talking about myself, I feel like I work enormously hard on the practice court," Daniil Medvedev said.

"During the first set I'm like, I do all this and I feel horrible. I'm like, Why do I have the feeling that some guys maybe don't do it but feel okay? That's when we come to where at one point I was like, Ah, maybe he's struggling also. Okay, it's tough for everyone. Just have to deal with it," he added.

Daniil Medvedev to take on either Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev in US Open semifinals

US Open Tennis

After his win over Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev will take on either Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the 2023 US Open. The duo are set to face off against each other in the second match of the night session on Wednesday.

Daniil Medvedev has a 9-7 head-to-head lead against Zverev, and has won three of their last four matches. Against Alcaraz, however, he trails 1-2 in the head-to-head.

The Russian most recently lost to Alcaraz in the semifinals of Wimbledon earlier this year.