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Daniil Medvedev's run at the Tokyo Olympics came to an end on Thursday as he succumbed to a 6-2, 7-6(5) defeat at the hands of Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarterfinals.
Medvedev, who had complained about the heat and humidity during his third-round win over Fabio Fognini, was once again affected by the conditions on court despite playing in much cooler temperatures compared to previous days.
Play started at 3 pm instead of 11 am local time on Thursday after the ITF heeded players' requests to postpone the start time due to sweltering conditions at the Ariake Tennis Park. Medvedev's match against Carreno Busta began at around 6 pm local time, but the Russian was still not too happy.
Speaking to the media after his defeat, Medvedev stressed he could not have played better than what he did as he was constantly soaked with sweat, which affected his ball toss. The Russian, however, admitted he was disappointed with the loss as he had been looking forward to winning a medal for his country.
"I am always trying to do my best (but) I couldn't play better than what I did today," Medvedev said. "I could serve better, but then I was wet like hell. I couldn't toss the ball well, once I tossed the ball and water got in my eyes. It was not easy to play and I'm really disappointed with myself and for my country to lose in the quarters."
Medvedev had to change his attire midway through his match against Carreno Busta as it was soaked with sweat. The Russian joked that he would have liked to have replaced his skin given how much he was sweating.
Medvedev also expressed his gratitude to Novak Djokovic, who played an important role in ensuring the start time for matches at the Olympics was pushed back.
“I changed everything I had (clothes)," continued Daniil Medvedev. "I wanted to change my skin because I was sweating like I never did before. It was terrible. Novak is the man, thanks to him. I didn’t enjoy the conditions still, but it was much better than playing at 11."
"I was just surprised at his level" - Daniil Medvedev on Pablo Carreno Busta
During the match, Daniil Medvedev appeared to mock Carreno Busta after the Spaniard hit a winner in the second set. The Russian closed his eyes and pretended to swat a forehand, indicating that the Spaniard was blindly hitting balls for winners.
The Russian even apparently muttered the words: "he (Pablo Carreno Busta) has never [done] this in his life". During his post-match interview, Medvedev said he was simply stunned by the Spaniard's level during the match.
“I was just surprised at his level,” Medvedev said. “Because today he could win Masters easily and yet he’s never been in any final of those. A Grand Slam is different, but with the level here today he can go in final of the Grand Slam. Easy.”
