Daniil Medvedev appeared to be making fun of his rival's injuries as Novak Djokovic provides a fitness update following an injury scare.
In the Adelaide International 1 semifinal, Novak Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, but it was a dramatic match as the 21-time Grand Slam champion feared for his health.
Djokovic is competing in his first tournament on Australian soil since being expelled from the country last year, and he is in dominant form as he hasn't lost a set in any of his opening three matches.
And on Saturday, the top seed maintained that record by defeating Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 in the round of 16, setting up a match with Sebastian Korda.
The former world No. 1 started out strong, breaking in game three and soon finding himself 4-1 up, but in the sixth game he overstretched during a point and began rubbing his hamstring.
He served to extend his lead to 5-2 while clearly in distress, had a 10-minute break for a medical checkup, and then came back to finish the first set.
He maintained control throughout the second set while still feeling uneasy, and the break eventually occurred in game seven despite the fact that he had to hold off two break points in the following game to maintain his lead.
In the middle of one of the games, Medvedev made the decision to make fun of Djokovic's hamstring issue by grabbing his leg and acting like he was limping in between points.
But as he served out the match, Djokovic remained unfazed by his opponent's theatrics.
Thankfully, he said, "It wasn't something major." If it were, I would be unable to go on. I simply took some anti-inflammatories, a medical break, and then I sort of settled in.
"After a few games, I just tried to maintain the lead and prevent him from breaking my serve. That, I believe, was the key to my eventual opportunity. The longer the game proceeded, the warmer and less painful my hamstring became. Hopefully, everything will be okay tomorrow.
Yoshihito Nishioka withdrew with the American leading 7-6 (7-5), 1-0, but Korda, who defeated sixth seed Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinal, secured his spot in Sunday's championship match.
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