By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday December 2, 2023
The World No.110 powered past the top-seeded Frenchman to notch the prestigious crown in Jeddah.
Photo Source: TTV
For the first time in the six-year history of the Next Gen ATP Finals, the title match went to a deciding fifth and final set.
It was also the first final between two undefeated finalists at the Next Gen Finals… And the last man standing was Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic.
Medjedovic edged Arthur Fils in a dramatic five-setter 3-4(6), 4-1, 4-2, 3-4(9), 4-1 to raise the trophy in Jeddah, and close the curtains on the 2023 ATP season.
“It was a very special feeling,” Medjedovic. “I couldn’t believe it – I still don’t believe it, it’s going to give me a lot of confidence for 2024.”
Medjedovic becomes the lowest-ranked champion in tournament history and joins Hyeon Chung, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Brandon Nakashima on the event’s honor roll, thanks to a near perfect week in Jeddah.
Medjedovic entered as the tournament’s ace leader with 50, and ripped another 19 as he overcame what could have been a devastating fourth set. Fils showed his fight in the fourth, saving two championship points to force a decider, but Medjedovic countered with resilience when he jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the final set and clinched the title two games later, sealing it with an ace.
Fils entered the final undefeated but couldn't get over the final hump in Jeddah. The Frenchman, who was the youngest player to win an ATP title in 2023, gave full credit to Medjedovic.
"You played amazing, you made an amazing week, you are serving bombs, it's impossible to return you," Fils said in the post-match award ceremony.
The Serbian, who is coached by Viktor Troicki, struck 38 winners against 21 unforced errors and won 86 percent of his first-serve points; Fils hit 24 winners against 23 unforced errors.