By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday January 10, 2020
Daniil Medvedev pushed Novak Djokovic to the brink but couldn’t topple the world-beating Serb for a third consecutive time on Saturday night in Sydney.
Djokovic prevailed 6-1 5-7 6-4 in an epic ATP Cup contest that had the feel of a Grand Slam final and kept fans on the edge of the seat for the duration of sets two and three, which were played at the highest quality.
“He showed why he's one of the best players in the world, why he's Top 5,” Djokovic said of Medvedev after placing his team in the final where it will meet either Spain or Australia. “This kind of consistency and this kind of solid game from back of the court, big serves got him to where he is. He deserves to be there.”
Dusan Lajovic had set the table perfectly for Team Serbia hours earlier as he defeated Karen Khachanov 7-5 7-6(1) in a high-quality affair that showed the true class of the largely unheralded Serb. Lajovic was imperious behind his serve and outclassed Khachanov in many of the long rallies, then passed the torch to Djokovic to finish the deal after storming through a second set tiebreaker that saw him build a 6-0 lead and drop just one point.
At first it looked like Djokovic would breeze past Medvedev in similar fashion. The Serb had dropped his two previous meetings against the Russian and he appeared determined to ensure that it did not happen again. The tactic of using drop shots and backhand slice to lure Medvedev into the net paid immediate dividends and he sailed through the opening set leaving Medvedev wondering what he might have to do to gain a toehold in the match.
But Medvedev is a fighter and a problem solver and he put those attributes on display in the middle set as he began to adapt to Djokovic’s tactics and find ways to put the Serb on the run. There were times during the second set when it looked as if he might be successfully wearing Djokovic down. There was one jaw-dropping 31-stroke rally that left Djokovic gasping for air in the seventh game of the middle set. Djokovic would get up off the canvas and break back to level the set but his frustration would mount as Medvedev broke in the 12th game of the second set to take it 7-5 and render Djokovic’s fightback from a break down mute.
Djokovic needed everything he had to engineer a break for 3-2 in the third set. He did so on his second break point when he finished a wild rally by popping a volley past Medvedev as the crowd went berserk. It was one of a myriad points in the match that tickled the imagination—frequently both players ended up in improbable situations, neither wanting to yield and both defending the baseline to perfection.
One such point came with Djokovic serving for the match at 5-4 and Medvedev holding his second break point of the game. The pair came together at the net and exchanged volleys before Medvedev was sent scurrying in the backcourt for a ball that eluded him.
Moments later Medvedev would save a match point and then the sinewy Russian earned a third break point, which Djokovic saved with courageous baseline play. Finally after four deuces in the game Djokovic converted the second match point and dropped to the court.
Exhaustion and elation were one, and Serbia had clinched its spot in the ATP Cup final.
“Definitely one of the most exciting matches I have played against [Medvedev] or any other top player last few years,” Djokovic said. “There are times in the match when it's just tough. It's a one-on-one battle. If you play a player that is in a kind of complete lockdown, doesn't miss a shot, makes you work double as much, and nerves and obviously pressure, everything has its effect on how you feel.
“But I overcame it, and he did, too. I think all the way till the end we were actually playing high-quality tennis, hitting the ball rather than just pushing it, which was impressive to experience and also to see.”