Tsitsipas "bored" by Medvedev; Zverev thinks the opposite

When Stefanos Tsitsipas dropped to 0-5 against Daniil Medvedev after losing their semifinal clash in Shanghai last week, the 21-year-old was frustrated in his inability to dictate the battle on his own terms.

In explaining the sensation of facing the Russian, Tsitsipas had no problem defining the matchup with one word: boring.

“I don't mean to be rude at all, actually, at all, but it's just boring. It's boring. It's so boring that—I don't know,” he told press in Shanghai. “So he has a huge serve, and if you manage to get it back, it's just countless balls inside the court.”

Upon hearing about the Greek’s description of his game, Medvedev has his own thoughts about Tsitsipas. In a translated interview with Russian outlet Sport-Express, the world No. 4 said, “I’m not taking Tsitsipas seriously anymore. Especially after his words about the Laver Cup celebration.

Alexander Zverev, who lost for the first time in five meetings when he finished runner-up to Medvedev in Shanghai, disagreed with Tsitsipas's assessment.

“I actually think the opposite. Daniil is somebody that plays a way that we have never seen before. So you can see it both ways,” Zverev said. "Maybe he doesn't do huge winners or jumping forehands or anything like that, but he plays a style that we have never seen before. That is not boring to me.”

As for his take on the dynamic between Medvedev and Tsitsipas, Zverev avoided taking the bait.

“Stefanos and Daniil have a weird relationship a little bit. So I will leave that to them.”

Their handshake compilation certainly gives everyone one way to look at it.