This week, ATPTour.com continues its annual review of the season, taking in the best matches of 2022, the biggest upsets, the most epic comebacks and much more. On this occasion, we review the rivalry between Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2022. This Thursday we will focus on the rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Taylor Fritz.
Daniil Medvedev entered this season with a dominating record at ATP Head2Head against Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2. However, the Greek managed to cut the gap in that head-to-head to 7-4.
And that Tsitsipas lost the first meeting of the year between the two, but responded to achieve two important victories in Cincinnati and at the Nitto ATP Finals. ATPTour.com takes a look at those three matches that make up the rivalry in 2022.
Abierto de Australia, SF, Medvedev v. a Tsitsipas 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
Medvedev met Tsitsipas in the first month of the season at the Australian Open. After winning his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in September 2021, Medvedev reached the semifinal where he faced Tsitsipas trying to make history, that is, trying to be the first player to win his first two Grand Slams so consecutive.
For his part, Tsitsipas, who was in search of his first Grand Slam title, arrived in great form, having beaten Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner en route to the Final Four. The Greek also intended, in addition, to overcome his ceiling in Melbourne and reach his first final at the Australian Open, since he had been a semifinalist in 2019 and in 2021 against Medvedev himself.
In a high quality duel, the second seed Medvedev attacked the Greek’s backhand from the baseline with his powerful and flat shots. Nonetheless, he landed 39 winners and held off Tsitsipas in two hours and 30 minutes. With this victory, Medvedev raised his hard court record to 19-1 in Grand Slam since the start of 2021.
“Some games are very close,” Medvedev acknowledged in his interview on the court. “I missed some balls at moments where I could have gotten a break and I missed at the start of the third set. From 5-4 in the third set I found my game and began to read his serve and put the ball inside. I hit some big passing shots and his energy went down and mine went up.”
Western & Southern Open, SF, Tsitsipas v. a Medvedev 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-3
Medvedev and Tsitsipas came to Cincinnati looking to bounce back from their disappointing losses in Montreal. After advancing in their first three matches in this ATP Masters 1000, both showed signs of being close to their best level before meeting again in the semifinals.
In January at the Australian Open, Medvedev had turned Tsitsipas off with his backcourt play, leading the Greek to make mistakes on the backhand. Determined to get his revenge, Tsitsipas changed the script and played more time at the net to break Medvedev’s rhythm.
The fourth seed won 75 percent (27/36) of the points at net in that match. Although he hit some world-class volleys, his ability to accurately time his drives to the net eased the way for him. His old-fashioned strategy worked perfectly, allowing him to celebrate a 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-3 win over Medvedev.
“There were some tough shots that I had to play a little longer,” Tsitsipas revealed of his game plan. “I took advantage of some short balls and they went in. Lots of brave serves and volleys, shots into the net that gave me a great win today.”
In the quest for his third ATP Masters 1000 crown, Tsitsipas failed to achieve the goal, after beating Medvedev. In the Cincinnati final, she ended up losing to Croatian Borna Coric.
Nitto ATP Finals, RR, Tsitsipas v. a Medvedev 6-3, 6-7(11), 7-6(1)
There was a lot of pressure on Medvedev and Tsitsipas when they met at the Nitto ATP Finals as both had lost their opening group match in Turin. The 2020 champion Medvedev struggled to find consistency in his opening match against Rublev, while the 2019 champion Tsitsipas conceded to the man who would go on to win the title, Novak Djokovic.
Knowing that the loser of the match would be knocked out, Medvedev and Tsitsipas put on a show at the Pala Alpitour in a dramatic two-way duel. The Greek let three match points slip away in the second set, before coming back from 3-5 down in the third set to win 6-3, 6-7(11), 7-6(1).
Following his success in Cincinnati with serve and net, Tsitsipas repeated the same tactic in Turin, winning 80 percent (36/45) of the points at net to take advantage of Medvedev’s —behind— position in the table. track during the two hours and 21 minutes that the crash lasted.
“I am happy with how I overcame myself and was able to enjoy it with the public. It’s a great victory and I’m very proud of the way I fought,” Tsitsipas confessed. “It never seemed like it was all over. Even in the last game, when he served, I felt that he could put balls in, that some opportunity would present itself to me and it did”.
It was the second time Tsitsipas had beaten Medvedev on indoor hard courts, having previously defeated the former World No. 1 en route to the crown in London in 2019. The Greek failed to repeat the title in Turin, losing to Andrey Rublev in a match that decided who would make it past the group stage.
