The sport of tennis is set for a defining season in 2020. With the top three players in the world over the past 15 years – Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer – entering the twilight of their careers, new players have emerged as genuine threats to their supremacy.
In this 8-part series, we’ll assess each player in the top eight and what they can achieve in 2020. We’ll look at how their positions are under threat and what they can do to attain their goals in the season to come. It’s never easy to look forward, but with our 2020 vision, you’ll have the benefit of hindsight when you’re talking tennis during the next 12 months.
We continue our series with a look at a player who has exploded onto the circuit in 2019, Russian tennis sensation, Daniil Medvedev. Having risen to his highest ever ATP ranking of 4th in the world in September 2019, Medvedev ended the season 5th in the chart. He did, however, reach an incredible six consecutive tournament finals in a row, including the 2019 U.S. Open final, which he lost in five thrilling sets to world number one, Rafael Nadal.
Medvedev, who at 6’ 6” actually plays as more of a baseliner than he does a serve-volley merchant, is a player of fierce power and devastating groundstrokes. The Russian provokes mixed opinion from his peers, however, with Novak Djokovic calling him a ‘complete player’ and Alexander Zverev commenting that his rival was the best player in the world at one point during 2019, but Greek ATP Final winner Stefanos Tsitsipas decrying the Russian as ‘very boring’.
What’s in his locker?
Medvedev’s mentality is very strong, with a tenacious attitude to general gameplay and massive personal drive. He’s also managed to acquire something few young players have at this stage – the ability to come back from criticism on court.
With crowds booing him at one stage, Medvdev managed to turn around the American crowd at Flushing Meadow with his stirring comeback to Nadal. Two sets down, the Russian rallied to draw level with the Spanish legend, but Nadal closed out the fifth to claim the title and his 19th Grand Slam.
With many of the other young talents on the circuit never having got that close to winning a Slam, Medvedev will be well prepared for any fightback in 2020.
What an amazing year it was💥 2019 gave me so many ups and downs, like The American swing I would have never even dreamt of and a poor end of the season, but see you soon 2020, will work harder 💪🏻🎾 pic.twitter.com/DUctZ1dqcI
— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) November 18, 2019
His Grand Slam record
Medvedev’s U.S. Open Final appearance is the only time he has made a Grand Slam final. It was also a significant improvement on his previous Grand Slam showings.
Having reached the main draws for the Grand Slam tour for the first time in 2017, Medvedev’s record has steadily improved at the Australian Open (1st round, 2nd round, 4th round), the U.S. Open (2nd round, 3rd round, final) and Wimbledon (2nd round, 3rd round, 3rd round). But at the French Open, he has only ever played three 1st round matches, all of which he lost.
Where are his weaknesses?
Medvedev admits himself that he can get emotional and has to deal better with the swings the game of tennis will always supply, although he can rightly feel proud at reaching four consecutive finals on the North American ‘swing’ tour, matching the achievements of Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi.
With a defining season of tennis approaching, Medvedev’s youth is both his strongest weapon and his biggest potential weakness. Can he hold it together for an entire Grand Slam tournament?
The verdict
If Medvedev is going to win a Grand Slam, then he will need to focus on his strengths and find a consistency that has so far evaded him in his professional career.
Having gone so close at the U.S. Open, Medvedev will have identified the final Grand Slam of the season as his best shot but watch out for him at the season-opening Australian Open, too. On his day, Medvedev won’t just cause any player on the circuit – he’ll beat them.
Slams to Win: None, but not for the want of trying. Expect him to get close, but we think it may take another year for him to get over the line.
