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ATP Miami – Daniil Medvedev, a tactic to review? “A game against Alcaraz is not enough”

He was the player to beat on the circuit, barely a week ago. When he got the better of Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals at Indian Wells, Daniil Medvedev was still on an impressive streak of three titles and 19 wins, qualifying at the same time for his fourth final in a row. But in one match, all those numbers and that pent-up confidence seemed like a small thing against an over-excited Carlos Alcaraz who needed just over an hour to sweep him away and clinch the trophy.

Does this mean that a world separates the two players and that the Russian must drastically challenge himself to compete in the future? Beware of hasty conclusions: Medvedev admitted it himself, he was very far from his best level during this final, and one day without forgetting the progress made since the beginning of February. Remember that he is the only active player outside the “Big 4” to have won so many matches consecutively.

ATP Indian Wells

Alcaraz like a tornado

03/20/2023 At 00:24

Its average level is sufficient again against 90% of the circuit

Unquestionably, Medvedev has found a very high average level of play on hard court. A low quality of play thanks to which he can get by against 90% or even 95% of the opponents who will be offered to him. Faced with the very best, he must of course raise the bar and he showed that he was capable of it against Novak Djokovic in Dubai in particular, even if the Serb was also quite far from his highest level that day.

The stat that can put Medvedev back in the race for the No. 1 spot

The question for the Russian is therefore whether his current best tennis on his favorite surface is enough to dominate the other cadors at their top. And his rout against Alcaraz in Indian Wells instilled a little doubt. Because beyond his bad feelings of the day, Medvedev was ultra-dominated tactically, he who nevertheless covers his ground admirably well.

A position with a vulnerable raise against the leaders

The Spaniard notably exploited his very remote position to perfection to multiply the service-volley sequences or the deliciously hidden drop-offs. And he is not the first to do so, since Novak Djokovic from 2021 in particular at Bercy, Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open 2022 or Nick Kyrgios at the US Open a few months ago had shown the way.

Medvedev’s game is wonderful to watch at times, some of the shots he pulls out of his hat are incredible. He is very unpredictable, he has power, he moves well. He will probably revise his copy after this last game in Indian Wells and try to devise another game plan against Carlos“, believes Chris Evert, consultant for Eurosport. Asked about the subject in Florida, Medvedev agreed that he was thinking about this tactical aspect, in particular on his position on the recovery.

It’s possible that I choose to go closer to my line, but I’m not sure. It is certain that if I lose two matches in a row in this position and especially so largely, I will really have to change something. But one match is not enough“, he considered with lucidity. Especially since the conditions in the Californian desert, as he kept repeating, were not favorable to him with this slow surface and this high rebound.

Alcaraz on top, Medvedev flop: the final came to an end

On a faster court, the opponent will have less time to follow up serve and volley

So before panicking, he will have to cross paths with the prodigy from Murcia again on a ground that suits him better. And why not in ten days, in the final in Florida – which he has never reached so far – where the courts are less abrasive although the humidity is higher.

I just have to wait until I play it on a faster hard court to see if my position on the court will work better when the ball flies faster through the air. The opponent will have less time for his serve and volley sequences and play from the back. In the Indian Wells final, at one point I tried to play a little more aggressively and close to my baseline. But on this game or these two games, he sent bombs to the service so that did not help me. And it’s not so easy to change things during a game“, he added.

One thing is certain: in Miami, Medvedev hopes to start a new series of victories and why not take a dazzling revenge. If he succeeds, he would thus take the lead in the Race (ranking since the beginning of the year), which would not be a bad idea in the race for the place of world number 1. Because the spring on clay will represent a completely different challenge for him who does not like to slip, unlike Alcaraz and Djokovic. To return to the throne, he will therefore probably have to assert himself as the undisputed master of the tough, even if it means stepping out of his comfort zone.

ATP Indian Wells

Indian Wells couldn’t ask for more

03/19/2023 At 02:31 PM

ATP Indian Wells

Medvedev suffers but continues his crazy streak

03/18/2023 At 10:36 PM

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