By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, April 3, 2023
In a clash of Wimbledon champions, Petra Kvitova defeated Elena Rybakina for her maiden Miami title.
Photo credit: Miami Open
The Miami Open offered unique flavors and revival recipe.
In her 13th Miami appearance, 33-year-old Petra Kvitova fended off Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina 7-6(14), 6-2, to become the second-oldest women’s champion in tournament history after Serena Williams, who was 33 when she lifted the title trophy in 2015.
On the men’s side, a red-hot Daniil Medvedev continued transforming spring hard-court season into a road trip of triumph.
The fourth-seeded Medvedev maintained his mastery of Jannik Sinner 7-5, 6-3, to capture his ATP-best fourth tournament title in his fifth consecutive final. Over the last seven weeks, Medvedev has been world beater, posting a 24-1 record.
During that dominant span, Medvedev has beaten Novak Djokovic, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Olympic gold-medal champion Alexander Zverev, buddy Andrey Rublev, Andy Murray and Sinner in two finals—Rotterdam and Miami—with his lone loss coming to Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells final.
The Tennis Now team was in Miami for the entire two-week tournament.
Here’s our top takeaways from a fortnight of sun, fun and fierce performances from veteran players.
Is Masterful Medvedev Best Hard-Court Player?
Naming rights belong to Daniil Medvedev after a masterful Miami run that saw him drop just one set—to Karen Khachanov in the semifinals—en route to his 19th career championship.
The 6’6” Medvedev is a moveable wall armed with a wrecking ball serve. A style so unique opponents struggle to decipher it and observers offer disparate ways to define it.
Hall of Famer John McEnroe calls Medvedev a “chess master”, former US Open champion and Tennis Channel Andy Roddick dubbed him “The Slim Reaper”, some commentators refer to him as “The Octopus”, while some devoted fans call him “Meddy Bear” because his surname translates to “Bear” in Russian.
You can make a very strong case Medvedev is the world’s best hard-court player right now.
Yes, 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, who swept Medvedev in the Indian Wells final, also have strong claims to that title.
Obviously, Medvedev—and all men in the field—benefitted from Djokovic’s absence from this Sunshine Double.
So would Medvedev have won Miami if the U.S. government let Djokovic into the country? Or would Medvedev be Miami champion if Alcaraz had prevailed over Sinner in that electric semifinal?
Unanswerable questions, but you can say Medvedev’s level of play in both the semifinal and final absolutely would have tested both Djokovic and Alcaraz.
Remember, Medvedev swept Djokovic, 6-4, 6-4 en route to the Dubai title, which he won without dropping a set.
The fourth-seeded Russian raised his 19th title trophy in Miami with 18 of those titles coming on his preferred hard court. Medvedev has been a superb front-runner this year posting a 26-0 record when winning the first set—he’s 3-3 when losing the opening set.
We watched Christopher Eubanks warm up for Medvedev against a unique partner—a brick wall in Hard Rock Stadium. About 20 minutes before facing the Rotterdam champion, Eubanks was doing rapid-fire volleys off the wall to prepare for Medvedev’s unerring consistency.
“I don't think anyone on tour really plays like Daniil. It's tough on tour to be able to mentally say who have I played that can serve 125 and not miss a ball from the baseline?” Eubanks told the media in Miami after falling to Medvedev in the quarterfinals.
“That doesn't come around that often. So I never really had anybody that I felt like I could go back in matches that I've played to give me a little bit of a feel and what to expect going into it because he's such a special player.”
Four things you notice watching Medvedev live:
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When he’s landing the first serve, he can hold as quickly as almost anyone not named Isner or Kyrgios because he wastes no time on serve.
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He shifts his court positioning throughout a point. Medvedev’s return position is so far back behind the baseline, he could leave a silhouette of sweat on the ball wall if he chose. However, after the return he’s quick to move up into the court, anticipates well, and cuts off angles aggressively.
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Medvedev is tremendous off the low ball. Because Medvedev is 6’6” and hits so flat he can appear vulnerable to the short slice and drop shot. Medvedev ran down most drop shots he saw throughout the tournament and he repelled the slice, especially in the quarterfinals against Eubanks.
Sometimes, Medvedev will get up to the shorter ball, hit a deep reply, then retreat to the sanctity of the baseline rather than push forward. You’d like to see him develop the finishing forward aspect of his game. For me, that’s one reason why Djokovic, Nadal and Alcaraz have scored big hard-court wins over Medvedev: Because all three have more developed transition skills.
On the flip side, if Medvedev develops that part of his game he will become even more dangerous.
Asked his most underrated weapon, Medvedev said opponents can underestimate his attacking ability
“I would say in a way my attacking skills, because I know that I'm good in defense, and especially on the return games, I can be sometimes defensive and there are some points I win kind of by just putting the ball back and making the opponents miss, but on my serve I feel like I'm pretty aggressive all the time,” Medvedev said. “And if I make a good return, then from the position I'm at, I'm really fast to go forward and maybe attack the next one. So I think, yeah, this could be a little bit underrated in my game, the attacking skills I have.”
Breathing Room
Take a deep breath and put yourself in Petra Kvitova’s position for a second.
Imagine suffering from asthma and breathing issues, gulping in the sweltering 85-degree Miami air between points and trying not to cough while facing heart-racing set point stress in both the semifinals and finals.
Now, you know why Petra was beaming joining Kool & The Gang on stage for their iconic “Celebration” that closed the final Saturday night of the tournament.
The 33-year-old Kvitova claimed her 30th career title and biggest championship since 2019 Madrid. Prevailing in what she called “the longest tiebreaker of my life” over Rybakina, who was 7-0 in 2023 tiebreakers until the final, Petra played with poise, patience and power in well-deserved title run.
In her post-match presser, Kvitova hit an intriguing note in response to a question from respected Miami journalist West Lamy. She was asked to share her mind-set during the tense tiebreak of the final.
Essentially, Kvitova shared she talked herself into winning by reminding herself to go for it because she knew extended rallies against the 23-year-old Wimbledon champion was a losing proposition.
“After a few points I told myself that I have to little bit go more for it to take it, not to wait if she mess up now, but just go for it and try to push her a little bit more, which in the end, I did,” Kvitova said. In her 13th Miami Open appearance, Kvitova saved set points conquering Sorana Cirstea in the semifinals and never panicked against Indian Wells champion Rybakina, who rode a 13-match winning streak into the final.
It’s easy to understand why Kvitova’s style played well on the Miami courts, which players say are slightly faster and lower-bouncing than Indian Wells.
Kvitova can curl her slider serve off the court to drag opponents wide and create open space. When she’s getting enough net clearance, her lefty forehand is lethal. If I were coaching Kvitova (obviously she’s doing just fine with her coach and fiancé and a more holistic practice approach) I would ask her after a series of slap shots into net to shift her target a few inches higher above the net. She hits the ball so cleanly and so hard if Kvitova consistently takes the net out of play on this court, she’s trouble for anyone because it’s so tough to extend the point against her.
Afterward, Kvitova said this magical Miami run shows her she can still beat the best in the biggest events.
“I think I just take it very positively that I can still compete with the best. You know, the clay is waiting and then it's grass,” Kvitova said. “The tennis world is just very fast, and I can't really stand there and be watching this trophy all the time, but I have to move forward, of course, as everybody would. It means a lot for me that even in my age I can still win a big tournament.”
One last note on Kvitova, her voice sounded hoarse in the semifinal and final press conferences, which she chalked up to “yelling” on the court to fire herself up. You wonder if she either had a cold or she just had trouble breathing yet still showed the spirit and commitment for the battle.
Watching Kvitova warm up a half-hour before the final on the turf field next to the stadium, she did a cool drill.
Standing in small circle with her coach and physio she juggled both a soccer ball—with her feet—and a mini football—with her hands—depending on what they threw at her. It was quite impressive to see just how fast Kvitova’s feet and hands are in a non-tennis setting.
We think of her as a classic ball striker, which is true, but seeing this drill you appreciate how finely tuned her hand and feet are. She did a fine job using her legs, especially in the semifinals when Cirstea tried to change it up with slice in the second set for a stretch, Kvitova was all over it.
Ultimately, Kvitova’s love for it all carried her through two tight tests.
“It’s a beautiful sport. I love it,” Kvitova said afterward.
Home Style
Fans chanting their names echoed in their ears.
Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff answered the comeback calls winning their second doubles title of the year.
The pair shook off tough singles losses to achieve doubles delight.
Gauff and Pegula defeated Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend 7-6(6) 6-2 to win the women’s doubles title.
After finishing 2022 as the No. 3 team on the WTA, the pair won their fourth doubles title overall.
The 19-year-old Gauff showed self-awareness and candor summing up her singles disappointment after a 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-2 loss to Anastasia Potapova on stadium court.
The Delray Beach native’s electric speed and comprehensive court coverage are major weapons, but after this loss Gauff said in her 2023 defeats she's been too reliant on her movement and retrieval skills.
"I think that's kind of been where I've been messing up in all my matches this year," Gauff said afterward. "All the ones I've lost I think I lost because of [being too defensive].
"I think it should be more used as a tool in a toolbox than as a weapon. I think I have to change my mentality in the game about not relying on that too much because I think sometimes I play a little bit too passive because I know I can get to balls.”
The beauty of Gauff’s partnership with Pegula is she is sharpening her net skills and transition game during doubles play.
Sinner Steps Up…Into a Wall
Contesting his second Miami final in three years, Jannik Sinner faced stylistic highs and lows.
The good news for Jannik Sinner: whenever he and Carlos Alcaraz get together on court the electricity they generate lights up the tennis world.
The bad news for Sinner: after the high of an exhilarating semifinal victory over world No. 1 Alcaraz comes human hangover Daniil Medvedev.
In a rematch of the Rotterdam final, Sinner could not hit through the lanky Russian and failed in his first-set attempts to lure Medvedev forward. Sinner hit about four drop shots in the opening sets and lost all four points. Three he netted and one Medvedev ran down easily.
Afterward, Medvedev was asked to explain how Sinner can defeat he world No. 1 then have no solutions against him. Medvedev, who is 6-0 against Sinner, including the finals wins in Rotterdam and Miami, basically said his ball defuses Sinner’s explosiveness.
“Somehow my shots don't let him, and I don't do it on purpose,” Medvedev said. “It's not like before the match I'm like, Okay, I'm going to do exactly this shot to put him in trouble, but I can see throughout all the matches that we played that my shots don't let him completely, what's the word, like expose his game, which is hitting winners all over the place.”
Indeed, watching Sinner dismantle opponents in earlier rounds is like watching a tennis terminator. It’s like the tennis gods put young Andre Agassi’s strokes into young Ivan Lendl’s body and added the balance of young Alberto Tomba when creating Sinner’s game. The red-haired Sinner doesn’t play with the artistry of Lorenzo Musetti or the flair of Fabio Fognini, but his timing is almost Djokovic-like. Sinner was timing the ball beautifully throughout the tournament and said he was ill the morning of the final.
Sinner must continue to sharpen his transition game, apply his forehand down the line at times and occasionally play some shorter, sharper angles. He understands it’s up to him to change if he’s to break through against Medvedev and the only way to do that is broaden his game. Sinner doesn’t have the natural feel on touch shots that Alcaraz has—few do for that matter—but he’s gifted athletically and works very hard on the practice court. He’ll get there eventually, the question is if winning a major requires beating Medvedev or Djokovic can he do it?
He must prove it.
Least Pretentious Players
Two stars who don’t act like stars: Daniil Medvedev and Tommy Paul.
We saw a relaxed Paul walk about to the Hard Rock Stadium tunnel just a few minutes before stepping out to face world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. Paul looked about as stressed as a guy waiting to buy a can of tennis balls at the Walmart self checkout line. Paul chatted with anyone who approached him and showed no signs of tension.
In all the stadium matches we saw Daniil Medvedev play he didn’t warm up on the field at all. Instead, Medvedev preferred the cooler conditions inside the stadium and often didn’t emerge for the walk on until two minutes before he was announced.
Often the camera man would stand right near the stadium entrance waiting for Medvedev to appear.
Similarly, around the tournament grounds Medvedev was accessible, approachable and seemed to enjoy interacting with fans.
The 2021 US Open champion appeared at a fan meet-and-greet for Lacoste, his clothing and shoe sponsor and a tournament sponsor. We didn’t see anyone, his agent or coach or even security, with Medvedev as he strolled up to meet fans, sigh autographs and take selfies at the Lacoste store.
Prior to press conferences, Medvedev was either accompanied by his agent or the ATP rep, but no major entourage like so many stars these days.
Scripting Success
Some of the biggest givers were tournament winners.
When it came to the art of signing post-match autographs and taking selfies with fans, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Daniil Medvedev, Petra Kvitova, Bianca Andreescu, Taylor Fritz and Carlos Alcaraz were among the players who gave their time to sign autographs and take selfies.
On different days, we saw Leylah Fernandez and Alycia Parks both on their way to the locker room stop to take selfies and chat with fans who recognized them and chased after them. In Parks' case she was walking back after a loss and still stopped to engage with the fans.
We didn’t see the top-seeded Alcaraz sign after the semifinal loss to Sinner, though given the physical issues he suffered in that match, you can certainly understand if he needed treatment afterward.
To his credit, Alcaraz was polite, cooperative and candid in the post-match presser. Asked how he handles losses emotionally since he suffers them so rarely, Alcaraz said for 20 minutes he completely shuts down and feels the pain before drawing the positives from his run.
“After the match, like the 15, 25 minutes I can't talk to anyone. I was on my -- complaining a lot, everything is like shit for me,” Alcaraz said with a smile. “But after 20 minutes, 25 minutes, you know, I recall myself, I start thinking about positive things, about the match, about the season, about the tournament, and talking with, you know, my team, my family, and yeah, after that starting to have good things on my mind. You know, I come here smiling. It's after the 20, 25 minutes.”