Russian fans are always looking forward to the difficult season. It is well known that Daniil Medvedev, the best domestic tennis player in recent years, prefers to play on this surface. At the start of this season, the 2021 US Open champion demonstrated his commitment to hard work. Then Medvedev won four titles and added a final, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the decisive match at Indian Wells, but in the summer things are not going so well for Daniil. Taking a short break after Wimbledon, the Russian returned to court in Toronto. At the Canadian Masters he stopped fighting in the quarterfinals, losing in two games to Alex de Minor. And in Cincinnati, he didn’t even get to this stage, after Alexander Zverev came out stronger in a tense three-setter in the 1/8 finals. And this despite the fact that Medvedev has won eight of the last nine meetings with a German of Russian origin.
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What went wrong? Before the Masters in Toronto, Medvedev did not forsake his words about his love for the tough; on the contrary, he was glad that the tennis players finally returned to him after clay and grass. In particular, the Russian explained why he prefers this coating. “I am very happy that this stage of the season has arrived. We will compete for a few weeks on my favorite surface and where my tennis is easiest. Also, I feel very good physically. Yes, I know that my body doesn’t “suffer” as much on grass as it does on grass or clay. But this does not mean that I will win every game, far from it. I know that there are very good players on the circuit who can beat me. But he is very confident in his game when this part of the year arrives, ”he said at a press conference at the time.
Daniil Medvedev plays in the Cincinnati Masters 2023
Photo: Aaron Doster/Getty Images
And speaking to reporters after Toronto, Medvedev spoke in detail about the reasons for his failure: partial balls and courts, in a nutshell. “I have been feeling this since the beginning of 2023. And here it happened again. The ball wears out immediately, it becomes very big and heavy. Accordingly, it is difficult for him to develop speed. I think he equals the level of all the players on the circuit. Even if you hit unexpectedly, the ball still flies so slowly that the opponent has time to stop, assess the situation, run, stop again, etc. (laughs).
After the Australian Open, of course, many discussed this problem. But after Australia it doesn’t seem like a big problem for the tour. This is just my feeling. I’m just saying how I feel. All tournaments have completely different balls. Maybe it’s the coverage. So my opinion: there really is such a trend, the balls on the tour have become slower. I love fastballs. When they get slower I need to adapt to them and win,” said Daniel.
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Medvedev, by the way, is not alone in his opinion on the balls. A similar thought was expressed by the third racket in the world Jessica Pegula. But she, apparently, a sin to complain. Pegula won the “thousand” in Montreal (an analogue of the men’s “Masters” in Toronto), knocking out of the net not anyone, but Iga Sviontek herself. True, for women, the matter was further complicated by the fact that they played with the same balls as men. “I don’t know why it’s been so difficult for everyone to keep the pitch this week. Even the girls with the best serves on tour have problems. this is rare. It’s probably a matter of conditions. The ball flies, the wind blows.
And this is the first week that we are playing with the same balls that men usually play. This is the first time we have this type of test: this week, next week and at the US Open. These balls are a bit heavier and don’t fly off the racket as easily. Maybe we are not used to it. Perhaps the reason for this is in other balls”, said the American after defeating Sviontek in the Montreal semifinals.
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What the experts say about the defeat of Medvedev
1995 Davis Cup finalist Andrey Chesnokov reviewed Medvedev’s loss to Zverev. In his opinion, Daniil spends a lot of energy on the baseline game. “There is a caveat: Medvedev runs far enough from the baseline. He expends a lot of energy. When he made a break point in the second set and won, plus the third set debut, I thought Medvedev had a small advantage. But after a break point and almost a match point, it seemed that Zverev was tired. There was a long draw. He played the end game very well, he served very well. In such matches, one or two points decide, ”Chesnokov said in an interview with the Championship.
The two-time winner of the Grand Slam tournaments in mixed doubles Andrey Olkhovsky complained about inexplicable mistakes in Daniil’s performance. “I considered Daniil the favorite in this match. Both in Canada and here he double faulted on break points. And his game doesn’t inspire much confidence. He has always been psychologically stronger than his opponents, and now he is making inexplicable mistakes. There is no Medvedev, whom we are used to seeing, ”TASS quotes Olkhovsky.
Vice President of the Russian Tennis Federation Alexei Selivanenko expressed the opinion that a break point decided everything. “All theoretical layouts end with the start of the game. With a practically even game, Alexander won only one more break point, which, in fact, ultimately decided the outcome of the match, ”Gazeta.ru quotes Selivanenko.
Alexander Zverev vs. Daniil Medvedev at the 2023 Cincinnati Masters
Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
And the three-time TBS doubles champion Elena Vesnina urged not to dramatize the situation. “Medvedev and Zverev have always had difficult matches. Danya was a little luckier and better. Well, Zverev was coming back after a very serious injury. Therefore, in his matches, Daniil was considered a clear favorite, because he had more practice in matches.
But now that this is the first tournament of the American series, Daniil has just arrived. It is very possible that he still has not gotten used to the conditions, to the balls, he has not acclimatized. Still, Zverev is quite a strong opponent. He doesn’t care what place he occupies in the ranking. He is always a dangerous opponent. I think this match just didn’t work out. Zverev played a little better and turned out to be stronger. There is nothing wrong with that,” Vesnina said in an interview with the Championship.
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And yet Medvedev’s form is worrisome ahead of the US Open. In fact, the preparation for the tournament turned out to be unsuccessful, and the Russian will have no more chances to prove himself in combat conditions, except that it depends on training before the last Grand Slam tournament of the season. Daniel will in any case be seeded in New York under the third number. This means that both Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, who will receive the first two seeds (only it is not yet known which of them will be the first and which will be the second), will face each other not before the semifinals. But even this stage has yet to be reached. Unfortunately, neither in Toronto nor in Cincinnati Medvedev was able to do this.
