Did Daniil Medvedev have a sixth sense about the Turin succession? | ATP Tour

Nitto ATP Finals

Did Medvedev have a sixth sense about the Turin streak?

The 28-year-old talks about his team's rivals Sinner, Fritz and De Minaur

November 07, 2024

When Daniil Medvedev finished the 2018 season at the then number 17 in the PIF ATP Rankings, little did he know that he would continue his ascent and begin a six-year run competing in the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals.

Medvedev, who went 0-3 in his first tournament in 2019 followed by a title run in 2020, is a perennial threat to become a champion in Turin. This year is no different.

But the six-year streak caught even Medvedev by surprise.

“Maybe if you ask me in 2018, when I'm not here, you say, 'I'll be there six times in a row', I'd like to say, 'Wow! How? You need to win the Masters 1000s, you need to play well in the Slams, and at that time I wasn't doing it, even if I was going up. So I'm very happy about it,” Medvedev told ATP Media. “I'm happy to be here and I'm looking forward.”

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The 28-year-old reflected on his 2024 season, in which he compiled a 45-19 record, calling it an “up and down” year with “some good and some bad.”

After winning five major titles in 2023, Medvedev has a short time as he continues to search for his first trophy of the season. The Australian Open and Indian Wells winner is placed in the Ilie Nastase Group along with Jannik Sinner, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur.

Medvedev and Fritz will begin their singles match on Sunday in what will be their second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

“With Taylor, it's really crazy because we've both been in the Top 10 for three years and we've started being on Tour at the same time and playing against each other, which is crazy,” said Medvedev. , who defeated Fritz in Cincinnati in 2022.

After Medvedev won his first six tour-level matches against Sinner, the Italian made a big change in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series, which now stands at 7-7. Medvedev and Sinner have met five times this season (Sinner 4-1), including three of the majors.

“You need to play an inch to hit [Jannik],” said Medvedev. “From start to finish, you need to be there, you need to make him physically tired and train him. If you can't do it right away, he controls the game and it's hard to break his rhythm. A very tough opponent, especially here in Italy. “

Boasting an 11-9 career record at the end of the season, Medvedev will seek revenge at the Nitto ATP Finals on De Minaur, who has won the tour ranking list 20 times at Roland Garros this year.

“I have known Alex for a long time. For me, he was always an outstanding tennis player,” said Medvedev. “[Before]maybe a little bit more up and down, where he can have amazing matches or even the same game – he can have amazing points when he runs from one side of the court to the other and makes a highlight of the season. And then in the same game, he goes down a little bit, makes mistakes, and this year it wasn't like that.

“I feel like that's what made this season better than the last – the consistency he's been able to find throughout the year and in every game.”