Maxime Cressy is single-handedly reviving serve-and-volley tennis on the ATP Tour.

The forward-thinking Cressy says there's a simple reason why men's tennis is almost exclusively a baseline game: Because top players are "scared to go to the net."

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In an interview with veteran writer and standout amateur player Harvey Fialkov of The Palm Beach Post, Cressy clapped back at baseliners like Daniil Medvedev, who branded the former UCLA standout's serve-and-volley style "boring" during his 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-5 win Australian Open fourth-round win over Cressy.

In response, Cressy said Medvedev and other top players are fearful of moving forward, which is why they engage in sometime monotonous extended rallies.

“That’s why they’re stuck in those 30-to-40 stroke rallies. That’s why they stay back, and they win all their matches because they’re better than all of those guys at the baseline," Cressy told The Palm Beach Post. "I believe there needs to be a new way of winning for people to start seeing tennis as more exciting and thrilling. …

"The paradox is Medvedev calling my game boring, even though most people actually love to see that style come back.”



After his win in Melbourne, US Open champion Medvedev walked back his trash talk of Cressy and praised the attacking player as a man with a bright future and Top 10 potential if he can sharpen his return game.

“The way he played today, completely,” Medvedev told the media in Melbourne when asked about Cressy's Top 10 potential. “I mean, of course it's a bit tougher for him on the return than on serve. So, I mean, we know these guys, he's gonna have to win a lot of tiebreaks to get the titles and everything.

“But I was in great shape today. I was playing great. He took me to a big fight. So it means that he can take anybody to the same fight, I think.”