By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Daniil Medvedev swept Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-4 in Turin today, scoring his first Top 10 hard-court win since Indian Wells last March.
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Ravaging his racquet and mauling a microphone, Daniil Medvedev self-destructed in his raucous ATP Finals opener.
Revived by the round-robin format, a masterful Medvedev muted self-doubt and Alex de Minaur in Turin today.
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Serving with menace, passing with precision and competing as if he couldn't care less, Medvedev swept ATP Finals debutant de Minaur 6-2, 6-4 to keep his semifinal hopes alive.
The 2020 champion cracked 26 winners compared to 10 for de Minaur, who did not break serve for the first time in a match this year. It was the first time in nearly two years the feisty Aussie did not earn a break point in a match.
The key to Medvedev's bounce back win was simple: Play like you don’t care.
“I decided to not care at all,” Medvedev told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “Because what happened, for sure, end of the season I’m tired mentally—everyone is tired.
“But I did manage to deal with it so I decided okay, I’m not able to deal with it right now so I should just care less. You know, if I lose today I go home Thursday. Perfect.
“If I win today, I have a chance on Thursday against Sinner, a great opponent. Whatever. I just went try to hit some balls, try to hit some good shots, try to serve. If it works, it works. If you make 20 double faults it doesn’t matter if you make zero perfect. And it helped me today. Usually it’s not good—because throughout the whole season it’s not going to work like this—but sometimes you have to do it and I’m happy it worked today.”
An oppressive Medvedev threw down four love holds in nine service games. Medvedev served 68 percent, won 11 of 15 second-serve points and defused de Minaur in longer rallies.
It was Medvedev’s first Top 10 hard-court win since be stopped No. 7 Holger Rune in the Indian Wells quarterfinals en route to his latest ATP Tour final in March. The lanky Russian scored his first indoor hard court since defeating Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev in round-robin play in Turin last November.
After wrapping a near pristine 78-minute victory, Medvedev stood near the baseline and plugged both ears with index fingers before writing his declaration of intent—”Block the Noise”—on the court-side camera.
It was a massive turnaround from the Australian Open finalist’s 6-4, 6-3 loss to Fritz on Sunday. Medvedev said a shift in mind-set was crucial to this resurgence.
“What happens against Taylor I know I’m not in my best shape. I know I’m not feeling well,” Medvedev said. “My second serve is struggling, but I go for it. I come to the match, I come to fight. I come to win first set, [commit] three double faults in the end [to lose the first set]. Already feeling tough mentally break the racquet, but I’m like okay let’s try again.
‘But then [Fritz] shanked line on the break point, I was like wow I’m done. For this match I was done. The next match I knew if I go into the match saying I have to win, I knew I wouldn’t be able to deal with this pressure….So just don’t care. Your boss is creaming at you just block the noise and say: I don’t care. Just don’t tell it to his face, but show it to him.”
Denied his 250th career win, a disconsolate de Minaur trudged off the court with an 0-2 round-robin mark.
Eighteen minutes into the match, Medvedev read a drop shot that sat up a bit, swooped forward and tomahawked a backhand winner breaking for 2-1.
The first Aussie since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 to qualify for the ATP Finals, de Minaur tried to play short angles to disrupt Medvedev.
Striking with precision on the move, Medvedev earned another break point in the fifth game. De Minaur cracked double-faulting away the double break as Medvedev surged ahead 4-1.
After his racquet-smashing implosion in his straight-sets loss to Taylor Fritz in Sunday’s round-robin opener, this was a different Medvedev mentality.
The 2021 US Open champion accepted the challenge of playing longer rallies against de Minaur—rather than grow increasingly cranky over his inability to end points as he had against Fritz.
Medvedev was winning many of the longer rallies on critical points. When de Minaur netted a forehand, Medvedev snatched a one-set lead after 41 minutes.
The server commanded much of the second set—five of the first eight games were love holds.
Medvedev made his move in the ninth game.
Throughout much of the match, Medvedev was playing his unerring backhand crosscourt. When de Minaur attacked, Medvedev zipped a clean, low backhand pass down the line breaking for 5-4.
Medvedev served it out at 15 improving to 46-20 on the season.