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Daniil Medvedev comes over the pitch

A closer look at Daniil Medvedev's run of success at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati almost a year ago shows: The Russian impresses with his consistency.

by tennisnet.com
last edit: Aug 07, 2020, 03:10 pm

Daniil Medvedev convinced Cincinnati with his constancy
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Daniil Medvedev convinced Cincinnati with his constancy

In a regular ATP season, Daniil Medvedev would be under enormous pressure this week: In 2019, the Russian had started a successful run in Washington that had brought him to at least the finals in six consecutive tournaments: In Washington, Medvedev lost to Nick Kyrgios , then in Montréal against Rafael Nadal (as well as at the US Open), in Cincinnati, St. Petersburg and Shanghai he went from the respective center court as champion.

That would have been a lot of points that Medvedev would have had to defend. After the ATP decided a few weeks ago that the points won last year will continue to be valid from the tournament in Indian Wells. In this regard, Medvedev can play freely at the upcoming events.

Medvedev didn't get the most hits

Statistics guru Craig O'Shannessy has recorded for the ATP how this affects the game of the current world number five. His result: Daniil Medvedev didn't win the title a year ago in Cincinnati because he had more wins than his opponents on the final balance sheet. But because the Russian was the one in all six matches who placed the ball at least as often (in round one against Kyle Edmund), but usually much more often, far back in the field of his opponent.

85 percent of Medvedev's strokes ended up behind the T-line in the field on average in the tournament, the only outlier down was against Benoit Paire with 79 percent. Kindly enough, the French played even shorter: only 62 percent of Pairs shots could be classified as reasonably powerful.

Here are Daniil Medvedev's matches in Cincinnati 2019

roundopponentLong balls opponentLong balls Medv.
final David Goffin 83% 88%
Semifinals Novak Djokovic 80% 82%
Quarter finals Andrey Rublev 86% 91%
Round of 16 Jan-Lennard Struff 77% 86%
2nd round Benoit Paire 62% 79%
1 round Kyle Edmund 85% 85%

For Daniil Medvedev, the specialty of defending the Cincinnati title is that the event will not be held in Ohio, but in New York City. On courts that are to be played differently than at the traditional venue of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

by tennisnet.com

Friday
Aug 07, 2020, 03:25 pm
last edit: Aug 07, 2020, 03:10 pm