ATP Geneva: Daniil Medvedev - comeback against a Frenchman of all things
Daniil Medvedev returns tonight at the ATP Tour 250 tournament in Geneva after a long injury break. Opponent will be Richard Gasquet. Medvedev traditionally always has a hard time against the French.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: May 17, 2022, 07:38 am
It almost seemed earlier this tennis season that Daniil Medvedev didn't really want the top position in the ATP charts. The Australian authorities had made the Russian an offer that he could not refuse: after the entry ban for Novak Djokovic and the associated loss of 2,000 points for the ATP charts, Medvedev could have really taken off. Especially since Djokovic was not at the start in Indian Wells and Miami as he was not vaccinated.
And yes: For a few short moments, Daniil Medvedev greeted from the top of the world rankings. But not felt as the best player on the planet at the time. Because after the final bankruptcy in Melbourne against Rafael Nadal, the next defeat was in Acapulco against the same player in the semi-finals. In Indian Wells it was against Gael Monfils, in Miami it was only in the quarterfinals against Hubert Hurkacz.
Medvedev needs match practice
After that, Medvedev took a break, had a few ailments corrected, and gave up the clay court tournaments in Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome, etc., which he didn't appreciate much anyway. The return this week in Geneva comes as a bit of a surprise, but it may also be due to the fact that Medvedev wants to score a few points in Roland Garros. Because the start in Wimbledon will be denied him as well as his Russian compatriots. So before the French Open, match practice is needed, tonight (not before 6 p.m.) against Richard Gasquet.
The record against the veteran is 2-1 for Daniil Medvedev, but all previous games have taken place on hard court. On the other hand, Medvedev's relationship with French opponents is a very special one - and not a good one: in addition to the defeat against Monfils, he also lost to Ugo Humbert in 2022 (at the ATP Cup), after all beat Benoit Paire in Acapulco. Humbert was also too strong for Medvedev in Hamburg in 2020, as was Gilles Simon in Marseille in the same year. Or Jeremy Chardy in the first round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Paris-Bercy 2019. Daniil Medvedev will still be the favorite to meet Richard Gasquet. And try to catch up in the coming days on what his biggest competitors in the ATP world rankings have ahead of him: match practice on sand.