mtenis.com.pl

Medvedev climbs after triumphing in Rome for first clay-court title
Daniil Medvedev will return to No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday after defeating Holger Rune at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia for his first clay-court title.

If Medvedev did not lift the trophy, Novak Djokovic would have entered Roland Garros as World No. 2. But now Medvedev is slated to be the second seed at the clay-court major. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will be the first seed and Djokovic the third seed, so they could land in the same half of the draw in Paris.

"If I would be No. 3, I would definitely play one of Alcaraz or Novak if I am in the semi-finals. You definitely have one of them in your draw," Medvedev said. "I guess it's better to be No. 2 and get the chance. Carlos and I [will not] play for sure before the final, and Novak maybe 50 per cent chance he's not in your draw. At the same time I haven't been further than quarters in Roland Garros."

Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings (after Rome Final)

Player Points
1) Carlos Alcaraz 6,815
2) Daniil Medvedev 6,330
3) Novak Djokovic 5,955
4) Casper Ruud 4,915
5) Stefanos Tsitsipas 4,775
Medvedev fell out of the Top 10 in January and was as low as World No. 12 in February. But the 27-year-old has surged since, winning titles in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, Miami and now Rome. The 20-time tour-level titlist will now set his sights on a return to World No. 1, a position he first reached last year and held for 16 weeks.

Medvedev will enter Roland Garros 485 points behind Alcaraz. Since Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals last year and Medvedev advanced to the fourth round, Medvedev will gain another 180 points on the Spaniard in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings when the tournament begins.

You May Also Like: Medvedev Clinches First Clay-Court Crown, Triumphs In Rome
Medvedev is also in good position in the battle for year-end ATP No. 1 presented by Pepperstone. The 27-year-old leads the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin — a good indicator for that battle — by 845 points over second-placed Alcaraz and 1,555 points over third-placed Djokovic.

Rune also will make a move in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday when he climbs to a career-high World No. 6. One year ago, the Dane lost in the first round of qualifying in Rome. Now he is just 400 points from cracking the world's Top 5 for the first time.

27-year-old won maiden tour-level title on clay in Rome
Daniil Medvedev has always been open about his testy relationship with clay. So how did he rise to become an ATP Masters 1000 champion on the surface?

The 27-year-old had not won a match in three previous appearances at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, but he capped a dream run Sunday by defeating Holger Rune to triumph in Rome.

It was Medvedev’s first ATP Tour title on clay at any level, let alone at a Masters 1000. Even given his solid form on European clay courts prior to Rome, the former World No. 1 expressed some disbelief at his title run in Italy and admitted the unexpected nature of his triumph made it one of his best yet.

“In a way [this is my] number one [success], just because it's the first one on clay and it's unbelievable,” said Medvedev in his post-match press conference. “I would never have thought I would be able to make this. Then have to be honest, a Grand Slam is always bigger. [The 2021] US Open is always number one there.

“This one is special because I didn't think it was going to be able to happen, [that I was] going to be able to make it. I still kind of don't believe… Not that I won it, but I played so well this week. I don't believe it.

“The way I played, I'm really happy. Happy to have this trophy back home in some time.”

You May Also Like: Medvedev Clinches First Clay-Court Crown, Triumphs In Rome
Medvedev’s deep groundstrokes have been a key feature of his clay-court development. His baseline retrieving has been the basis for his hard-court success (18 of his 20 tour-level titles have come on the surface), and he cited a change of strings at the start of the 2023 season as a reason why he has been able to replicate his form on the clay this year.

“Straightaway in Australia [with the new strings] actually, where I lost, with my coach we were like, ‘Wow, I have the easy depth on the ball, which is amazing," said Medvedev.

“In Australia, [it] didn't work. I was 100 per cent doubting myself. Should I go back to the old ones, I was playing good with them? I said no, let's try more. Now it's unbelievable.”

The Official App Of Tennis | Download ATP WTA Live App

Medvedev’s title run was his fifth of a standout 2023 season, including Masters 1000 crowns in Miami and Rome. The 20-time tour-level titlist believes his experience playing under championship-match pressure at Masters 1000 events helped him keep his cool at tough moments against Rune.

“For sure every time you play a big final, it's an experience,” said Medvedev. “It's an experience for the next one. For example, both Miami and here, I felt like the start was so-so, then I managed to get into the match more and more and play better and better.

“When I played my first [ATP Masters 1000 final, in Montreal in 2019], it was against Rafa [Nadal]. I got destroyed. I started bad, as I kind of started these matches, then I was only playing worse and worse. The next one I managed to win against Goffin [in Cincinnati in 2019]. It was a tight match from both of us. We knew it's going to be first one for us.

“With experience, I managed to do better in this moment, so maybe that helped. But then in general terms, after Miami, I was feeling confident, good.”

Brain Game analysis breaks down the Rome final
Daniil Medvedev dismantles your game.

Playing your “A-Game” is next to impossible against Medvedev, who willingly absorbs your best punches and silently disrupts your winning patterns. Medvedev defeated Holger Rune 7-5, 7-5 in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final on Sunday by dismantling Rune’s strengths and finding another level at the end of both sets to secure victory. There were seven specific battles in which Medvedev managed to craft an advantage over Rune to capture his first clay-court title.

You May Also Like: Medvedev Clinches First Clay-Court Crown, Triumphs In Rome
1) Medvedev Owned Ad-Court Rallies
Medvedev’s primary baseline tactic was to make the match a backhand-to-backhand war of attrition through the Ad court. Medvedev’s ultra-flat, uber-consistent backhand is almost impossible to do anything with.

Medvedev Backhand Placement

67% cross court
15% middle
18% down the line
Rune Backhand Placement

46% cross court
25% middle
29% down the line
Medvedev shoveled two out of every three backhands crosscourt, handcuffing Rune in baseline exchanges. Overall, Rune hit 108 backhand groundstrokes, which included 14 errors and three winners. Rune also hit 54 run-around forehands in the Ad court for six winners and six errors. The Ad court belonged to Medvedev.

2) Rune’s Underperforming First Serve

Rune made a lowly 49 per cent of his first serves (33/68) for the match, only winning 52 per cent (17/33) of those points. Rune was broken four times, specifically due to these underperforming first-serve stats, but won a competitive 63 per cent (22/35) of his second-serve points. A key factor of Rune’s low numbers behind his first serve was Medvedev’s deep return position, where he regularly made contact six metres behind the baseline. Rune could not go through him, or around him.

Medvedev Return Hit Points vs. Rune

Rome Final Medvedev Return Position
Hawkeye graphic courtesy of ATP Media
Medvedev consistently put Rune on the back foot at the baseline after a first serve, or landed it at his shoelaces as he attempted to serve and volley. Medvedev directed 81 per cent of his first-and-second-serve returns to the middle and backhand thirds of the court, trying to immediately enter into an oxygen-depraving backhand-to-backhand rally against Rune.

3) Rune Serve & Volley
Serve and volley is a natural counter-attack against a deep returner, but with Rune landing less than half his first serves, the tactic always felt dangerous in this match. Overall, Rune won seven of twelve serve-and-volley points, but was even in the second set with three won and three lost. Medvedev did a masterful job of mitigating this potentially damaging tactic.

4) Rune Drop Shots
Drop shots are a classic secondary tactic on clay that compliment a strong primary pattern of play, such as initially pushing your opponent deep behind the baseline before yanking them forward. Rune hit 10 drop shots in the match, with eight coming from his backhand wing. He only won four of ten, and they failed to disrupt Medvedev’s baseline patterns.

5) Net Points Won
Rune came to the net a healthy 26 times in the match but only managed to win 50 per cent (13) of those points. Medvedev countered by winning 13 of 20 (65 per cent) at net, providing another strategic victory.

6) Baseline Points Won
The primary pattern of play of blasting groundstrokes back and forth over the Roman red dirt was easily won by Medvedev.

Medvedev=53% (39/74)
Rune=43% (29/68)
Rune hit 131 forehand groundstrokes for the match, but Medvedev absorbed the punches like a true clay-court heavyweight. Rune struck nine winners with his forehand but contributed 17 errors as Medvedev consistently absorbed and repelled Rune’s forehands.

7) Court Position

Medvedev Court Position

Inside Baseline=23%
Within 2 Metres Of The Baseline=44%
Past 2 Metres=33%
Rune Court Position

Inside Baseline=21%
Within 2 Metres Of The Baseline=45%
Past 2 Metres=34%
Surprisingly, Medvedev played slightly more inside the baseline than Rune while at the same time not standing in the ultra-deep baseline location quite as much.

Medvedev’s first clay-court title came from playing solid tennis on his side of the net and forcing Rune to play his “B-Game”. What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.