So far this year only one man has won more than 50 matches on the ATP Tour and it isn’t Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.
Daniil Medvedev’s rapid rise since Wimbledon has seen the Russian feature in six consecutive finals on the tour. In three out of the past four tournaments he has won the title. Including his second Masters title in Shanghai on Sunday. Eight out of his nine wins over top 10 players have taken place within the past six months. Including two wins over world No.1 Djokovic.
Medvedev now finds himself third in the ATP Race to London ahead of Roger Federer and one of the best players on the tour. Leaving many wondering how has he managed to suddenly turn into such a formidable force?
“I think it’s everything together, like something clicked in my game in USA. I don’t know why. I think it’s just the hard work that I have been doing.” The 23-year-old explained.
“I started to understand even more about my game, even more I would say about my serve, about my volley, about everything, like kind of what do I have to do when.’
‘That’s why many of these matches I could have lost at least three sets here but finally didn’t lose one. I kind of know what I have to do and where do I have to play. If I have to play it with spin or slice or dropshot, stuff like this.”
Should Medvedev continues his form into 2020, there is the chance that he could threaten the No.1 spot with few ranking points to defend during the first half. Although it would be a tall order. This week he currently trails the top position by almost 6000 points. The last time a player outside of the Big Four became world No.1 was Andy Roddick back in 2003.
“I always say that my first goal is to win every match I play, and that’s how I can actually become No. 1 if you win a lot of matches in a row just like I did.” Medvedev explained.
“I’m going to try my best to show great results as I did here, and if something like this is going to happen, it’s just a big bonus.” He added.
Many players are currently struggling to find a way to crack Medvedev’s game. Alexander Zverev, who lost to Medvedev in the Shanghai final, says his opponent plays ‘in a way never seen before.’ The world No.4 has managed to establish a solid all-round game. Fast serve, the ability to control the pace of rallies, good speed around the court and mentally tough.
Whilst he may seem to be unstoppable at the moment, Medvedev knows it will not always be like that. For him it is about living in the moment and not focusing too much on the future.
“I don’t like to talk about the future, because you never know what the future got for you. That’s why my answer stays the same.” He stated.
“This week (in Shanghai), yes, I probably was invincible, but for the next upcoming weeks, I’m not sure. And even this week there were some matches that I could have definitely, let’s say, lose a set and we don’t know how it would have gone.”
Medvedev currently leads in rivals in many areas of the tour this season. He has the most hard-court wins (46), most wins in the Masters series (22) and has featured in nine finals in total.
