Erste Bank Open: Daniil Medvedev - The chess player is back in his element
Daniil Medvedev has so far been able to fully convince at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. And to bring the competition to despair with his game in rows.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Oct 28, 2022, 10:45 pm
by Nikolaus Fink from the Wiener Stadthalle
Anyone who sees Daniil Medvedev at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna these days would not believe that the fourth in the world rankings was not able to complete a training session at the highest intensity until Saturday last week. Because what the Russian has shown so far in the Austrian capital is strongly reminiscent of the US Open 2021, when Medvedev himself could not even be put under pressure by Novak Djokovic and consequently won his first Grand Slam title.
Medvedev, as he never tires of emphasizing himself, has regained his top form in Vienna. The 26-year-old had already shown strong performances in Astana, but gave up there in the semifinals against Djokovic due to adductor problems. "I'm a happy person in my life right now and on the pitch too. That can help me play well," said Medvedev, looking ahead to the birth of his first child .
Medvedev not in the flow
To date, Medvedev 2022 has fallen short of its high standards. The Russian only won one title (Los Cabos) and hardly seemed to find any solutions against the best players. "When I look back at the tournaments this year - of course there were a few good and a few weaker matches, that's normal - I was never really in this flow," analyzed the Russian.
According to Medvedev, he has no explanation for this, but at most he is very happy to be able to exploit his full potential again. "Because then I know that I can win the biggest tournaments and titles against the best players," said the 2021 US Open winner.
Medvedev finds his serve
It is obvious how well Medvedev serves in Vienna. In the three matches against Nikoloz Basilashvili, Dominic Thiem and Jannik Sinner, he only allowed one breakball. "I've worked a lot with my coach to recover my serve because it's one of my weapons," said Medvedev.
But Medvedev can hardly be defeated from the baseline at the moment, as he acts tactically as cleverly as hardly any other player. The Russian is therefore often compared to a chess player. "I like to think of tennis as a game of chess on the court," Medvedev said. It can be seen in the 26-year-old these days.
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Here the individual tableau in Vienna
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