Reuters
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev celebrates with the trophy after winning the final match against Austria’s Dominic Thiem Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
Reuters
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev celebrates with the trophy after winning the final match against Austria’s Dominic Thiem Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
Current world no. 4 Daniil Medvedev has been one of the most brutal forces in the game over the past 12-15 months. In the year 2020, besides the likes of Djokovic and Nadal, younger guys like Thiem and Medvedev displayed some breathtaking tennis. Some of their performances this season did indicate a change of guard.
The Russian showcased his true potential towards the end of the 2020 season. He ended up winning the Rolex Paris Masters and followed it up with another gigantic title at the ATP Finals in London.
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There are many positives to be taken from the season finale. Daniil won the ATP Finals beating the world’s number 1st (Novak Djokovic), 2nd (Rafael Nadal) and 3rd (Dominic Thiem) ranked players to lift his maiden title.
Reuters
Tennis – ATP Finals – The O2, London, Britain – Russia’s Daniil Medvedev shakes hands with Austria’s Dominic Thiem as he celebrates winning their final match REUTERS/Toby Melville
Daniil Medvedev will win a Grand Slam and be number 1 in the world
Former Serbian professional tennis player, Janko Tipsarevic, was full of praise for the big-hitting Russian. He said, “Medvedev is an amazing player. It is not a question of whether he will win the Grand Slam title. He will, it is not a question of whether he will be number one – he will at one point.”
The Serb did not fail to mention the efforts of the ‘big 3’ in raising the standards of the game. He also felt that although Medvedev will achieve a lot in the future, he will need to improve his game on the clay courts.
Necessary to dominate in relation to the previous generation
The former world no. 8 further stated, “Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer raised the ladder so much that it is necessary to dominate in relation to the previous generation. Sampras was superior for a very long time, and he collected points on grass and concrete. He almost jumped over the slag. In this era, a player has to be great on all surfaces to dominate. At the moment I don’t see that Medvedev, due to his style of play, can make good results on clay in continuity.”
It’s true that players need to be compatible on all the different surfaces these days. Dominic Thiem, for instance, has a world-class level of gameplay. However, his results on grass courts have not been up to the mark. Similarly, Daniil has to work on his clay court repertoire.
The 2021 season will certainly be exciting with the mix of the new guys and the older ones.
Also Read: “Incredible Level and High Intensity”: Andrey Rublev Expresses Admiration For Dominic Thiem
