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Third seed extends winning streak to 13 matches
Daniil Medvedev moved to within one win of capturing his third consecutive tour-level title Friday when he ended Novak Djokovic’s perfect start to the season at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

In the 14th chapter of their rivalry, Medvedev was locked in from ball one, triumphing 6-4, 6-4 to extend his winning streak to 13 matches. The third seed stood deep behind the baseline to soak up Djokovic’s ball-striking. Medvedev committed just 12 unforced errors compared to 38 from Djokovic and he was rapid around the court, chasing down a number of drop shots to advance after one hour and 35 minutes.

“When you play against Novak you just have to play your best,” Medvedev said. “Kind of hope he doesn’t play his best on the day because when he plays his best, well he has 22 Grand Slams, so even if you play your best, it is going to be tough, not sure you win.

“I managed to play a higher level than him today. In the second set I didn’t face one break point, but there were so many 30/30 game. But I manged to stay composed and I am happy to be in the final tomorrow.”

The 27-year-old lifted tour-level titles in Rotterdam and Doha in February. He will aim to clinch his 18th tour-level crown and 17th on hard courts when he faces Andrey Rublev in the championship match on Saturday.


Medvedev ended Djokovic’s bid to become the first man to complete the Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969 when he defeated the Serbian in the 2021 US Open final. But, the top seed entered the clash at the ATP 500 in Dubai off the back of four consecutive wins against Medvedev.

However, he was unable to make it five and improve on his 15-0 start to the season, with the World No. 7 Medvedev limiting errors and winning the longer exchanges to improve to 5-9 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Djokovic struggled to find consistent rhythm against Medvedev. He served-and-volleyed in the first set to pressurise Medvedev’s deep court return position, but struggled to successfully execute the play. He then threw everything at Medvedev on return in the second set, striking with aggression and depth. However, he was unable to hit through the third seed, who acted like a brick wall.

Medvedev, who is making his third appearance in Dubai, has yet to drop a set this week, also defeating Matteo Arnaldi, Alexander Bublik and Borna Coric.

Djokovic was chasing his sixth title in Dubai, having lifted the trophy in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2020.

27-year-old is a former World No. 1

Daniil Medvedev quickly had a dream to make it to the top after first holding a racquet aged six.

The 27-year-old has achieved a lot since then. He has lifted 17 tour-level titles, including the Nitto ATP Finals crown and the US Open, while he reached No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 2022. Medvedev reflected on his tennis journey in 'A Love Letter To Tennis'.

“Dear tennis, I remember when I was six years old and I just loved running around with the racquet,” Medvedev said. “Consciously I fell in love with you when I understood this feeling of competitiveness that you have because it is one against one, and only one player wins."

He later added: “The journey of my career so far with you was for sure very exciting. It was better than I could have imagined as a kid. I absolutely love it and I am really proud of what I have achieved with you.”

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After rising to No. 1 for the first time last February, Medvedev struggled to find his best level. He failed to advance beyond the semi-finals at the five ATP Masters 1000 events he played in 2022 and he lost in the fourth round at Roland Garros and the US Open.

The World No. 7 has bounced back in 2023, though, capturing titles in Rotterdam and Doha. Medvedev, who ended Novak Djokovic's perfect start to 2023 in the Dubai semi-finals, is thankful for the discipline the sport has given him.

“The biggest challenge you brought me is being able to push every day, no matter how hard it is,” Medvedev said. “Sometimes I lose some matches, I lose some confidence and I know that the next day when I am going to practise everything is going to be feeling very bad, sometimes extremely . But in order to feel good after you have to continue pushing, and that’s what you taught me.”

Not satisfied yet, Medvedev is determined to push on and win more.

“I have so many memorable moments with you, so I’m not going to choose one because all the moments from start to finish were amazing and it is not finished yet,” Medvedev said. “We had some tough ones, we had some good ones and I’m sure we are going to have some amazing good moments together again.”

Third seed clinches 18th tour-level title
Daniil Medvedev completed an ATP Tour hat-trick Saturday when he overcame Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-2 to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The third seed, who ended Novak Djokovic’s unbeaten start to the season in the semi-finals, produced a consistent performance throughout the 68-minute clash to extend his winning streak to 14 matches. Having lifted trophies in Rotterdam and Doha in February, Medvedev is the third player to win three titles in as many weeks since 2021, joining Casper Ruud (July 2021) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (October 2022).

"It is amazing because at the start of the year, it was not perfect. In tennis when you don't win matches you have doubts. Now it just feels better," Medvedev said. "I was really happy with these three weeks and I am looking forward to the next ones."

The 27-year-old’s strong hard-court form has lifted him to No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, rising above Rublev, who drops to No. 7. With his Tour-leading 19th win of the season, Medvedev improved to 5-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against the 25-year-old Rublev.

"It was very tactical [match]," Medvedev said. "I know Andrey can cause a lot of trouble to everyone on Tour. Every time we play he tries to make me suffer, I try to make him suffer. Today I managed to be on top, but the next match could be a different story."


Following his 18th tour-level title, Medvedev will next compete at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he will be looking to continue his winning run. The former World No. 1 is six victories from equalling his career-best winning streak on the ATP Tour, having earned 20 consecutive victories from November 2020 to January 2021.

Medvedev entered the final having not dropped a set all week and he played with confidence against Rublev to frustrate the second seed. The 27-year-old committed just two unforced errors in the first set as he sat deep behind the baseline to soak up Rublev’s aggressive hitting.

After clinching the opener, Medvedev continued to find the perfect balance between defence and attack. He turned the tables in the baseline exchanges with his precise crosscourt forehand, breaking twice in the second set to seal his victory.

The 2022 champion Rublev was aiming to become the third repeat titlist at the ATP 500 event in Dubai, alongside Djokovic and Roger Federer.