Wimbledon 2023 has witnessed its fair share of suspensions, with adverse weather conditions wreaking havoc on the schedule. Rain has played a leading role in disrupting matches, while the lack of light has posed a persistent challenge for players. Amidst these suspensions, the spotlight fell upon Daniil Medvedev during his second-round encounter against Adrian Mannarino.
Their match, initially halted due to insufficient light with the scoreboard at 4-4 in the third set, rekindled the following day. Medvedev was able to resume the match right where he left, completing a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 over the lefty veteran.
The world of sports is replete with superstitions, and tennis players are no exception. Among them appears to be Medvedev, with the former US Open champion recently unveiling a captivating and enigmatic routine of his own.
Daniil Medvedev’s unconventional ritual at Wimbledon 2023
It’s never easy to resume a match the following day. Particularly when players are tied late in the set because anything can change the momentum, which is what Medvedev explained after his win. In the past he had a bad experience with the continuation of a suspended encounter, so he did something different this time.
“I remember couple of years ago I had this against Hubert Hurkacz and I lost and I kind of prepared in a way – let’s call it for a new match. I did the ice bath and everything like if I finish the match like on a normal tournament and the next day I have to play again. And this didn’t work out at all, so I changed it. I now said, ‘Okay, I don’t do everything like if the match is finished’. I didn’t even wash my hair, I was like, ‘I’ll wash it after the match’. And it worked so I’m going to continue like this if I have next time two days matches. But I took a shower, I have to say. I took a shower”, Medvedev admitted.