Daniil Medvedev has been the story of the North American hardcourt swing. So it would be criminal to conduct an overview of this summer without breaking down and, subsequently, celebrating, the Russian’s exploits.
There are a number of reasons to explain the extent of Medvedev’s successes. Firstly, his technique and game style has no particular rhyme or reason; in fact he thrives off unsettling opponents with his lack of linearity. Despite standing at 6ft 6 inches and possessing a bomb of a first serve, he plays like a 5ft 9 counter-puncher from the back of the court – yet somehow manages to balance these contrasting approaches effectively. As well as this, he is a remarkably difficult player to win cheap points against. Notwithstanding his miserly and nearly always unfailing groundstrokes, he returns from nearly two metres behind the baseline, meaning he is rarely aced. This pressure is exacerbated by his Federer-like ability to race through service games in one or two minute spells, making the opponent feel like he is always serving. The margin by which Medvedev won some of his matches on his title run in Cincinnati (6-2 6-1 over in-form Jan-Lennard Struff, and 6-2 6-3 over Andrey Rublev, who was just coming off a straight-set dismissal of Roger Federer himself no less), displays a ruthlessness and consistency of intensity that has been notably absent from those around him attempting to challenge the Big Three.
Another underrated asset that separated Medvedev from the rest this summer was his flexibility and bravery; these two qualities running alongside each other in both Cincinnati and New York. At a set and 3-3 0-30 against Djokovic in the Cincinnati semi-final, his fate seemed to be following a similar course to the Montreal final mauling at the hands of Nadal. Yet Medvedev took control of the situation; he effectively started hitting two first serves, with this aggression completely taking Novak out his rhythm and turning the tide of the match in his favour. His reversion to a more typical defensive counter-puncher style in the final against David Goffin displayed how Medvedev is so adept at evolving his style of play to both the circumstance and the opponent. It should also be noted how calm and composed he was in serving out the biggest title of his career, in the face of what was clearly Goffin’s best tennis of the match.
Throughout the course of the US Open, Medvedev placed himself in a position where he had to contend with more than just his opponent. In his third round against Feliciano Lopez, he attained a pantomime villain-type status; instigated by angrily snatching a towel from the hands of a ball-boy and aggravated by a not-so-subtle gesture towards the crowd which left him $9,000 lighter than before the match started. Considering that New York sporting crowds are notorious for their temperamental volatility, Medvedev’s apparent desire to rile them seemed naïve and misjudged on the surface. At the time, however, there was a definite spark missing from his game. Having previously scraped past clay-court grinder Hugo Dellien in four sets and facing a continuing battle with cramps that extended into his match against Lopez, it appeared that Medvedev’s exhausting three-week run had finally caught up with him. In both his third and fourth round post-match interviews, Medvedev went to great lengths to express his gratitude towards the Louis Armstrong crowd for their hostility, at one point saying, “When you go to sleep tonight, I want you all to know; I won because of you”.
The existing feud between New York and Medvedev cooled somewhat as the two weeks progressed; partly because he stopped engaging with the crowd as much and let his tennis do the talking. Again, he fought off physical adversity to overcome the substantial threat of Wawrinka, before brushing aside Grigor Dimitrov in a manner polar opposite to his status as a first-time Grand Slam semi-finalist. Yet, Medvedev was not to earn the total respect of Flushing Meadows until a scorching backhand return winner tied his final with Rafael Nadal up at two sets all. This was not in the script. The script dictated that after two and a bit sets of closely fought, rally-heavy tennis, Medvedev would roll over and Nadal would steam ahead to his 19th Grand Slam title. Evidently, Medvedev was not interested in playing to type; displaying a gallant determination to give Nadal absolutely nothing and a sincerity of conviction in his own ability which is generally lacking from almost anyone else who comes up against the Spaniard. This was reflected in some of the magical rallies that occurred; aside from a few inopportune errors, Nadal’s level barely faltered over the course of the third and fourth set. Medvedev even lived up to the cliché of fighting until the last point, breaking Nadal back from 5-2 down in the fifth, and saving two championship points before eventually succumbing.
As I write this, Medvedev has just won another title in St Petersburg. For him, winning is now an expected habit that is going to be very tricky for him to get out of.
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