Weary after fighting more hours on court than any other major contender in history, Daniil Medvedev’s Australian Open 2024 final defeat came with a cruel sense of déjà vu.
From two sets up for the second time in a Melbourne Park title match, the 27-year-old came up short, the first in the Open era to suffer such a fate.
On Sunday, whiz kid Italian Jannik Sinner’s fresher body and mind lifted him past a fading Medvedev 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3.
The 27-year-old had won 50 of his 51 previous hard-court Grand Slam matches after snatching the opening set. His lone defeat, however, came in the Australian Open final two years ago, when Rafael Nadal roared back to life to overwhelm him.
Where Medvedev cut a heartbroken figure following that capitulation, there was an acceptance on Sunday night that he could not have extracted an ounce more from his body.
“Yeah, different feeling, different circumstances, I would say. Now I'm dreaming more than ever, probably not today, but in general in life,” Medvedev said.
“But I would say it's not anymore a kid who is dreaming. It's me myself right now, a 27-year-old who is dreaming, and who's doing everything that is possible for my future and for my present. I love it.
“That's why I made it to the final. I wanted to win. I was close. Was I really close or not? Tough to say, but was not far. Yeah, the scoreline is similar but I think the match would be a bit different.”
In his sixth major final - his third at Melbourne Park - the No.3 seed exploded out of the blocks, outhitting a nervous first-time finalist to open up a commanding two-set lead.
The only other time he secured the opening two sets in this campaign, Medvedev went on to wipe Felix Auger-Aliassime off the court in the third round, his only straight-sets ledger of the fortnight.
But with Sinner riding the confidence of a victory over 10-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and sharper on his toes having spent almost six hours less on court, the Italian had settled.