Jannik Sinner vs. Daniil Medvedev: Rivals for 2024 | ATP Tour

Best of 2024

2024 Rivals: Sinner vs. Medvedev

The Italian continued his exciting comeback in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series

November 28, 2024

To mark the end of another sensational season, ATPtour.com presents our annual 'Best Of' series, which will showcase the most impressive rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. This week, we look at the best tournaments of the year.

Momentum can mean a lot when it comes to rivalry. Just ask Jannik Sinner.

The Italian continued his remarkable turnaround in his affair with Daniil Medvedev in 2024, winning five of the pair's six tour meetings. Soni has erased all memory of his six-game losing streak to Medvedev. After his group stage victory at the Nitto ATP Finals earlier this month, he now leads the Lexus ATP Head2Head series for the first time (8-7).

As part of ATPTour.com's season review series, we look back at Sinner and Medvedev's 2024 matchups.

Australian Open F, Sinner d. Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
Perhaps things would have played out differently in the Sinner vs. Medvedev this year if the latter was able to continue his red start in the finals of the Australian Open in January. Medvedev stormed to a two-set lead inside the Rod Laver Arena, deftly capitalizing on whatever early nerves Sinner displayed in his championship debut.

Yet Medvedev's uncharacteristically aggressive tactics, evidenced by his decision to stand closer than usual to first place on his return, could not propel the fourth seed to his second major crown. Sinner showed no signs of panic and staged a stunning comeback, based on his trademark targeting and hard hitting, to secure a three-hour, 44-minute victory.

“I expected something different from his side, so I had this feeling that he might come out aggressive. It's not aggressive like this,” admitted Sinner after winning his first Grand Slam title. “He played really well in the first two or two and a half sets. I tried to play an even level, I tried to take a few chances in the third set, and I did. When you win one very important game, the game can change at times, and that was the case today.”

Miami SF, Sinner d Medvedev 6-1, 6-2
If their clash in Melbourne was a battle, Sinner's semi-final meeting with Medvedev at March's Miami Open presented by Ita was more like a procession. Soni entered the game with a 20-1 record on the season, and the 22-year-old played like a man full of confidence to wrap up the 69-minute win. It remains the most one-sided result in Sinner and Medvedev's 15 matches at tour level so far.

His semi-final victory in Miami, where he went on to beat Grigor Dimitrov in the final, was Sinner's fifth in a row against Medvedev, whom he had not beaten in six attempts before October 2023. Six months later and the Italian had faded. Lexus ATP Head2Head falls short at 5-6, leaving pundits and fans wondering: Did Medvedev have the answer?

Wimbledon QF, Medvedev d Sinner 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3
By the time of their next meeting in July at Wimbledon, the in-form Sinner had risen to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time. He won his first grass-court title at Halle in June and then took to Center Court to face Medvedev with one-time Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini and dangerous Ben Shelton en route to the quarter-finals.

But as he has so often throughout his career, Medvedev dug deep to defeat a heavy-hitting opponent. He dropped the first set at halftime but then went into 'lockdown mode' from deep behind the baseline, eventually eliminating Sinner in the four-hour battle. Medvedev's commitment to playing tennis on the front foot proved crucial, confirming his approach after his heartbreak in Melbourne six months ago.

“[I was thinking about Melbourne] technically, because I felt like at the Australian Open I did a lot of good things technically,” said Medvedev. “I couldn't make it to the end, but I felt like I was playing well. I tried to do it in Miami, too. It didn't work. I think I went too far… Mentally it was a good game today because I didn't think about the Australia game. Not before the fifth set, 'Oh, my God, it's five sets again'. No, I was there to fight, to do my best.”

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Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner playing at Wimbledon. Photo Credit: Francois Nel/Getty Images

US Open QF, Sinner d Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4
After his disappointment at Wimbledon, Sinner didn't have to wait long to get his Grand Slam revenge on Medvedev. The pair competed in the quarter-finals of the US Open, their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting at a New York major, and World No. 1 came out on top to win comfortably in four sets.

The two-hour, 39-minute encounter was further evidence that Sinner was becoming increasingly comfortable with Medvedev's somewhat metronomic game, but it was also a clear display of a player determined to win after win. Even in a game that featured few big shifts, Sinner's long batting proved consistent enough to surpass the game's best first pitch.

“It was very difficult, we got to know each other well,” said Sinner, who completed a set of semifinals in all four Grand Slam tournaments with his quarterfinal victory. “We played in Australia this year and we went to London. We knew it was going to be very physical. The first two sets were strange because the one who broke first started rolling.”

Shanghai QF, Sinner d Medvedev 6-1, 6-4
From 0-6 down, Sinner's equalizer in the Lexus ATP Head2Head comeback against Medvedev was easily shut out at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Medvedev struggled physically at times and received physio treatment on his shoulder in the second set of the quarter-final tournament in China. After top seed Sinner fired his way to the first set inside the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, those physical problems undermined any comeback bid from the 28-year-old Medvedev.

Soni saved the only break point he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to an 85-minute rally that brought him and Medvedev within seven wins apiece. The Italian went on to defeat Novak Djokovic in the final in Shanghai, earning him his third ATP Masters 1000 title of the season.

Nitto ATP Finals RR, Sinner d Medvedev 6-3, 6-4
Soni capped his outstanding year against Medvedev at home in November at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he snuffed out his opponent's hopes of reaching the semi-finals with a calm and collected performance. Medvedev needed a straight sets victory to give himself a chance to advance to the last four, but Sinner advanced to the group stage in Turin by taking advantage of his opponent's 30 unforced errors.

While sitting down to think about his 2024 season at the post-match press conference, Medvedev was asked about Sinner's surge to an 8-7 lead in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The 28-year-old was in no doubt that Sinner was a direct threat to his ability to add to his 20 tour-level titles.

“Look, you're still going to lose this year,” said Medvedev from Italy, who went on to lift the trophy in Turin. “If you want to win the title, you will face him at the same time. It is not easy to beat him. Many people try. Many people fail. There's one guy who does it more times than others, and that's Carlos [Alcaraz]. He is a very strong competitor.

“He's probably one of the best players I've ever faced. I dealt with the Big Four a bit when he was a bit older, and maybe [their] the speed was not the same. I will try to work before the season. Maybe at some point he loses confidence, starts to miss some balls. Besides, everyone, not just me, is in the most difficult years ahead of us because he is so young.”