Daniil Medvedev is in elite company as a former mathematics student at a specialised school before pursuing a successful career on court.
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Even the most mathematics-averse competitor on tour could have arrived as quickly at the same overriding conclusion as the world No.5 though, had he not survived his Australian Open first-round five-setter against 418th-ranked Thai wildcard Kasidit Samrej on Tuesday.
It would have gone down as one of the greatest upsets in tennis history on rankings alone if not for Medvedev’s 6-2 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-2 comeback.
Since the turn of the century, there had been only two bigger ranking differentials in tour-level upsets.
In 2006, Rafael Nadal, Medvedev’s tormentor in the Australian Open 2022 final, was No.2 in the world when he fell to 690th-ranked Joachim Johansson in Stockholm, while in 2004 in Sydney, 447th-ranked Chris Guccione beat then No.4 Juan Carlos Ferrero.
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Five sets clearly worked in Medvedev’s favour as he mounted a fourth-set fightback and avoided joining that unenviable list.
This was his fourth straight five-setter at Melbourne Park, dating back to his triumph over Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals last year.
“I know that I play better when I play more tennis,” Medvedev joked. “So, it was like ‘why play one hour and 30, you need minimum three hours at least to feel your shots better, to have a good sensation’.
“Really speaking though, second and third set I couldn’t touch the ball. Full power, everything in, I didn’t know what to do.”
Only the third Thai player to contest a men’s singles Grand Slam main draw after Paradorn Srichaphan and Danai Udomchoke and the first since 2012, on paper this was a tall order for Samrej, a player who had never passed a Challenger-level quarterfinal.
The 23-year-old – who earned his spot winning the Asia-Pacific Wild Card Playoff in China last year – was not entirely untested against this calibre of player.
While world No.78 Taro Daniel was the highest-ranked opponent he had faced in losing a Seoul Challenger quarterfinal last year, the idyllic holiday nation he came from offered an unexpected fringe benefit in the off-season.
Former world No.9 Srichiphan asked whether he would practise with 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic while the Serbian enjoyed a break in Thailand.
It was an offer too good to refuse and an invaluable hit-out ahead of his tour-level debut.
Having spent more than 24 hours on court on his run to losing his third title match at Melbourne Park last year, Medvedev was determined to employ a more aggressive style, taking the ball closer to the baseline than a year ago in his first match of the new season.
There was longer-term thinking at play. The only player he didn’t concede a set to in seven matches last time round these parts was Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round.
It was a drawn-out run that eventually caught up with him in the final against Jannik Sinner.
In a more evenly-contested second set, the 28-year-old gave his coaches Gilles Cervara and Gilles Simon a sarcastic thumbs-up at the dwindling success he had with the closer return position.
At 5-4 in the second, Samrej took matters into his own hands when he backed his aggression for his first break and levelled the match at a set apiece.
It brought the RLA crowd to its feet, and he soon wrested control of the match when he consolidated his break on a seven-minute hold for a two-sets-to-one lead.
The physical exertion required to cross the finish line began to take a toll, having never battled more than three sets before.
No sooner had he slipped behind 1-4 in the fourth than Samrej required treatment on his left thigh and gargled a dose of pickle juice to ward off the encroaching cramps.
It was the only reprieve Medvedev required.
“I watched his matches, and I didn’t see this level. I was surprised,” Medvedev said of Samrej. “If he plays like this every match, his life can be good … I wish he could play like this every match.
“If I’m facing him, no, but it happened to me a long time ago. I’d won Tokyo and played a Chinese wildcard Zhang Ze [next in Shanghai in 2018] and played an unbelievable match to save match points to win when he was serving 230km/h.
“The next week he’s playing some Challenger [event] and losing 6-2 6-2 and I broke him once in three sets. You need to be consistent to make it in tennis and I wish him this.”
The US Open 2021 champion whipped through the final two sets for a second-round clash against 19-year-old American Learner Tien.
He dares not entertain the thought of which list he’d risk joining should he end up in a fifth straight five-setter at Melbourne Park.