Daniil Medvedev got everyone’s attention in Cincinnati when he took down World No.1 Novak Djokovic and went on to win his first Masters 1000 title.
It was a massive achievement and an instant headline-maker, and it has had a huge effect on the young Russian already.
“My confidence in my tennis game grew a lot just because these last three weeks were, without a doubt, the best in my career,” Medvedev said. “This year I still had my ups and downs in some tournaments, and these three weeks I basically didn’t have any downs. I had only great matches.”
He continued, “It gives me a lot of confidence that I’m able to change my game and the momentum against Novak and start to give him problems. Hopefully I can bring this confidence to the court (at the US Open) for two weeks or more.”
Medvedev powers through round one but tougher tasks await
True to form, Medvedev experienced no significant difficulties in his first-round match at Flushing Meadows. He swatted aside World No.88 Prajnesh Gunneswaran 6-4 6-1 6-2 in just 85 minutes to set up a meeting with World No.84 Hugo Dellien.
This is the easy part of a Grand Slam for the top men. Because there is such a huge gulf in quality between the top 20 and the rest, players like the Russian should breeze through the early rounds at the majors.
Of course, it will get more difficult for Medvedev. He could be tested by either Taylor Fritz or Feliciano Lopez in round three, and then Nikoloz Basilashvili or Reilly Opelka in round four.
If he gets through all that, he will almost certainly face Djokovic again in the quarter-finals. And if he beats the Serbian again, the sky is the limit for the talented Russian.
To Medvedev’s obvious delight, he has been tipped for success by 2014 US Open runner-up Kei Nishikori.
“I respect Kei so much,” the Russian said. “He is a great player, and to hear my name come up like this, is just — how to say, I don’t have the word, but it’s a great feeling and I’m thankful to him for that.”
He continued, “I always try to stay a little bit away (from these suggestions), because at this moment of my career I haven’t even been in the quarters of a slam yet. So that’s the first step to make, and if I make this step, then I can talk about bigger goals and bigger achievements.”
