In the summer, Daniil Medvedev was up end down. He would get frustrated and Irritable. But, the Russian keeps working, developing some new good shots.
Last year was Medevev’s upsurgence. This year, he leveled off until this month.
At the ATP Finals in London, he certainly was more consistent. Even if he was losing, he pushed himself by unloading dominating forehands and backhands. He is 6-foot-6, which can be tough when you have bending down. Over the years, the tallest players were have to overcome their height advantage when they’re motoring around the court. Medvedev, who is fast and creative, mixes a special type of tennis package.
On Sunday, the Russian beat Dominic Thiem 4-6 7-6(2) 6-4 in the Finals final. That was a very hard match, for both players. In the third set, Thiem looked a little bit tired while Medvedev looked healthier and fresher.
Over the past year and a half, the Russian has won theree ATP 1000s: Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris. Now, add the ATP Finals, what could be considered the fifth major.
The question about 2021 remains: Can he win his first Grand Slam? Possibly, but will he move past winning two-out-of three-set matches and progress to the Slam demands of three out of five.
That has alway been the history. In London, Thiem upset Rafa Nadal and Medvedev took down Novak Djokovic. Nadal has 20 Grand Slams, and Djokovic has 17 majors. Thiem has won one Slam, and Medvedev has zero.
In 2025, Medvedev and Thiem could win, let’s say, another seven Slams. That is very good, but right now, they are only on the cusp of greatness, which is owned by Nadal, Djokovic, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg. Maybe Medvedev and Thiem have a dream, that they can join the best players of all time. But now, it’s just a dream.