By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday February 18, 2021
Former World No.1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov believes firmly that Daniil Medvedev is headed for his second Grand Slam final. The Russian, speaking with Serbian journalist Sasa Ozmo for Tennis Majors, talked about the difficulties he believes Tsitsipas will have against the top Russian when they meet in semi-final action on Friday night in Melbourne.
“Tsitsipas’ game suits Medvedev’s style of play and I do not see how Stefanos can present problems for Daniil, to be honest,” Kafelnikov said. “In my opinion, Tsitsipas does not possess a “killer“ shot that could cause Medvedev trouble and Daniil likes to play against opponents with one-handed backhands, Tsitsipas is not going to be able to hurt him off of that wing.
"Also, the return is one of Medvedev’s strengths and Tsitsipas’ serve is good, but he cannot serve bombs and a couple of aces per game like Isner and some other players. All in all, the head-to-head speaks for itself, Medvedev is the clear favorite to go to the finals.”
The head-to-head that Kafelnikov refers to is rather lopsided in Medvedev’s favor (the Russian leads 5-1), but it was Tsitsipas who took their last meeting, at the 2019 ATP Finals.
In terms of time on court, Medvedev should be a little better rested, but not by much. Tsitsipas has spent a total of 11:43 on court in Melbourne, thanks to his grueling five-setter with Thanasi Kokkinakis, while Medvedev has spent 10:11 on court through his five matches.
The Russian enters his showdown with Tsitsipas on a 19-match tear that has also seen him win eleven consecutive matches against top 10 opposition. Additionally, Medvedev will bid to join Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro in a group of active players that have managed win streaks of 20 or more matches tonight in Melbourne.
Kafelnikov, in his wide-ranging interview with Osmo, went on to say that Djokovic is going to be a tough out at the Australian Open. The eight-time champion has shaken free of his injury cloud and is eager to make more history this weekend, he says.
“Even if Novak has not played three or four great matches up until now, I am sure he will be at his best from this point onwards,” the Russian legend said. “He is a predator; when he smells something big, he wants to take it. He wants to be the one with most Grand Slam titles and the closer he gets to the title, the better he is going to play.”
Kafelnikov believes that Djokovic might rank first in Grand Slam titles among the Big Three when all is said and done.
“Every athlete is driven by the idea of breaking records,” he said. “When we start our careers, we dream about getting to the number one spot even for one week, never mind being there for 300+ weeks, so of course it is significant. In Novak’s mind there were two great goals – historic No 1 and most Grand Slam titles. He is not too far behind and I feel he may have the best chance of all the three guys to end up with more Slams. That is the legacy he wants to leave behind, those two achievements.”