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Daniil Medvedev’s earliest reminiscences of taking part in grass-court tennis function some all-too-familiar faces.
“My first time on grass was after I performed junior Wimbledon [in 2013],” Medvedev informed ATPTour.com final week. “There was a match beforehand in Roehampton, the place additionally they play qualies for Wimbledon. I really misplaced to Nick Kyrgios [in the second round], and he received the match towards Sascha [Alexander] Zverev within the last.
“They had been actually wonderful at their age. I used to be nowhere shut as a result of they had been very younger after they went on the skilled Tour, into the Prime 100 and began taking part in the perfect on the planet. I keep in mind them taking part in the ultimate. I feel I really even watched it, and it was identical to watching two legends, two junior legends, play.”
Medvedev might have taken slightly longer to hitch Kyrgios and Zverev among the many ATP Tour’s elite, however he now owns extra tour-level trophies than each his former junior rivals. The twentieth and most up-to-date of his titles, which moved him away from 19-time champion Zverev, got here on the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome in Might. It was Medvedev’s first ATP Tour crown on clay, heralded by many as a breakthrough for a participant who has by no means been shy about his heavy choice for arduous courts.
Given he now owns tour-level titles on arduous (18 of his 20 triumphs have come on the floor), grass (Mallorca, 2021) and clay (this yr’s Rome win), is the World No. 3 any nearer to contemplating himself an ‘all-court’ participant?
“I nonetheless consider essentially the most in myself on arduous courts as a result of that is nonetheless the place my largest titles are,” mentioned Medvedev. “One Grand Slam, [five] Masters 1000s. I used to be by no means in a position to obtain sort of shut on different surfaces, [but] I do know that I can play properly, lastly, even on clay. Profitable a Masters 1000 [in Rome] was unbelievable. There are some wonderful clay-court gamers that by no means received a Masters, so it is simply unreal.
“I do know that I can play properly on grass. It is simply there’s one thing that I am way more assured about myself on arduous courts. However at any time when I play, irrespective of the floor, I all the time attempt to win. I all the time attempt to be the perfect even when typically it does not work. And that is what I strive yearly on the clay and grass, even when I like arduous courts extra.”
Medvedev arrives at Wimbledon with an 8-4 file on the grass-court main. The 27-year-old loved his greatest run at SW19 on his most up-to-date look by reaching the fourth spherical in 2021. For somebody that’s used to competing for the most important prizes within the sport, that’s one thing he’s eager to enhance.
“For the second, Wimbledon is the Grand Slam the place I’ve my worst outcome, [reaching the] fourth spherical,” mentioned Medvedev. “Roland Garros is quarter-finals. So I for certain need to change it. I really feel like I am able to taking part in properly [at Wimbledon], however like all the time there are a number of powerful opponents that do not need to allow you to do that.
“I need to present my greatest there. [It is] unbelievable to be there each time you come. You step on the grounds, and you realize even while you come within the participant foyer, straightaway you see grass throughout, and completely minimize. You simply really feel, ‘Effectively, right here I’m at Wimbledon and it is an amazing feeling’, and I might be pleased to expertise it this yr.”
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Medvedev will not be the one massive title looking for a primary deep run on the All England Membership. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth spherical in 2022 and lifted an ATP 500 trophy at The Queen’s Membership final week in simply his third tour-level occasion on grass. Promising indicators for the Spaniard on a floor that Medvedev believes supplies a posh problem.
“I really feel like grass is a extremely fascinating floor, as a result of many instances I might be taking a look at somebody taking part in and in my thoughts, I might be like, ‘This man can play properly on grass usually. Massive serve, massive forehand or one thing like this, is aware of slice’,” mentioned Medvedev. “And for no matter cause he does not prefer it and he [doesn’t do well on grass].
“Then there’s going to be another person [like Alcaraz], the place you say in your thoughts that whereas his sport will not be actually suited to grass — perhaps he does not go to the online that always and stuff like this — after which he performs so properly on grass, and he says it himself that it’s his greatest and favorite floor. That is the place it is shocking.”
Alcaraz and Medvedev’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head assembly got here at Wimbledon in 2021. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Photographs.
It was Medvedev who ended Alcaraz’s maiden marketing campaign on grass when he eased to a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 second-round triumph towards the then-18-year-old Spaniard at Wimbledon two years in the past. Alcaraz has since lifted 11 tour-level titles, together with a maiden main on the 2022 US Open, and risen to turn out to be the youngest No. 1 within the historical past of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
“In my view, the best way Carlos performs on each floor, he can win perhaps 5 Wimbledons, however you by no means know,” mentioned Medvedev. “It is a powerful floor to play on. After we performed [in 2021], he was not the identical participant, so I managed to get the perfect of this match. Final yr I feel he improved [on grass] already, performed this four-setter towards [Jannik] Sinner [in the fourth round]. I keep in mind it was an amazing match.
“So I feel his potential is admittedly excessive on any floor, however grass is a tricky floor for a lot of gamers. Let’s have a look at how he handles this job.”
from Tennis – ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/MzXKB7o
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