Daniil Medvedev over Holger Rune
“I play some of my best tennis when I play the top guys of the world.”
At point will the Russian Medvedev finally rise into the top of the mountain, once again. He has been darn close, and during his life, he can be confused, off and on the court, but when he begins to understand, then he can raise his game. He can hustle, he can slap his forehand, and he can mix it up with his sizable backhand. Over the past five years, he changed a few things, and also, he has a good tactics, and also, he practices a lot, so he can put together any shot. For sure, his return is decent, but not phenomenal, and at the net, he can bend down, look to see where the ball is going, with a quick decision. Just like many of the young, the top players, they can re-act quickly. The 27-year-old certainly has done that, when he just beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 7-5 in the semis, a really important win.
So here is Rune, rising so briskly. When he is running around, he can move quickly, he can flat it out, and drive so hard. He can control his shots, and also, he can flat it out and crush it.
He is ready to win his second tournament at the ATP 1000, especially that in Monte Carlo last month, he out-hit Daniil Medvedev.
“I play some of my best tennis when I play the top guys of the world. I mean, it’s a good time to play your best tennis because you need it against those players I’ve managed to do it many times now,” Rune said. “I think it’s obviously some of the toughest challenges to face guys in top five because they’re obviously some of the best guys in the world. But I play well when I play them.”
He has had a good year, but not fantastic, grabbing some very good wins, and other ones were so-so. He certainly will be ready to wreck the ball when it starts in the rainy Rome, but Medvedev will be more controlling, and he will win the tournament in three, super interesting set.
The Picks in Rome: Sunday, May 21
May 21, 2023 by