Daniil Medvedev: A defeat is not enough to change your mind
Closer to the baseline on return? Daniil Medvedev is not so sure.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Mar 23, 2023, 08:19 pm
There were moments during the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells when you thought Daniil Medvedev's opponents would hit an unoccupied field opposite - the Russian had retreated so far behind the baseline. However, with the exception of Carlos Alcaraz, who didn't give Medvedev a chance in the final, nobody was able to take advantage of this constellation. So why change anything? After all, the Spaniard will not hit everyone like he did last Sunday in Tennis Paradise.
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That's exactly how Daniil Medvedev, who put in an exhibition fight with Andrey Rublev in Mexico on the way to the next 1000 in Miami, seems to think. "It's possible, but I'm not sure if I would do it," Medvedev explained in Florida about positioning closer to the baseline. On the other hand: "Of course, if I lose two matches in a row so easily because I'm too far behind, then I definitely have to change something. But one defeat is not enough.”
Medvedev only briefly with changes against Alcaraz
In fact, Medvedev has done well with his strategy over the past few weeks, winning the title in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai. And so far Novak Djokovic is the only player to have been beaten this season. Medvedev was also extremely defensively positioned against the Serbs. Which made Djokovic use serve and volley so often as rarely in his career.
Conditions also played a role. Especially those like Indian Wells, which Daniil Medvedev complained about at every opportunity. "I'll just have to wait for a match on a faster hard court to see if my position works when the ball then flies faster and my opponents don't have as much time to serve volley."
He also tried to change something against Alcaraz for a short moment. Vain. "In those one or two games, he was just serving bomb serves, so that didn't help. And in general it's not easy to change things during a match."
In Miami, Medvedev starts against the Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena. He is highly unsuspicious to follow his interjections to the net.
Here is the individual tableau in Miami
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