World No. 1 Novak Djokovic got beaten at his own game on Wednesday evening at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Daniil Medvedev grinded out the five-time champion 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court at The O2, guaranteeing his spot in the semi-finals at the season finale.
One year ago, the Russian lost all three matches in London on his tournament debut. He is now 2-0 in Group Tokyo 1970. The 24-year-old is trying to become the fourth player to lift the Nitto ATP Finals trophy the season after a winless debut (Djokovic, Stich, Edberg).
[WATCH LIVE 1]
Medvedev booked his semi-final berth with an impressive defensive display in which he did to Djokovic what the Serbian does to the rest of the ATP Tour. The Russian gave the top seed no free points and repelled all his offence, frustrating Djokovic. As the 17-time Grand Slam champion’s level waned, Medvedev remained rock-solid, forcing his rival to beat him.
“He’s getting a little taste of his own medicine,” former World No. 1 Jim Courier said while broadcasting the match for Tennis Channel.
It was like watching the game ‘Pong’. No matter what Djokovic did, Medvedev had an answer. The 6’6” righty showed off his wheels at the back of the court, neutralising the Serbian’s aggression. While the top seed’s service games were full of lengthy rallies, Medvedev did well to keep things shorter, winning 61 per cent of his second-serve points compared to 43 per cent for Djokovic.
[WATCH LIVE 3]
The 33-year-old fell to 6-7 in his second round-robin match at the year-end championships. Djokovic will try to recover for his final Group Tokyo 1970 match against 2018 champion Alexander Zverev, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals.
Medvedev went unbroken in his triumph and now only trails 3-4 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series. The Russian has claimed three of his past four meetings against Djokovic.
The World No. 1 saved the first four break points he faced with clutch, patient tennis. But once he missed an awkward low forehand at 3-3 to lose his serve, the gates opened for Medvedev. Djokovic grew impatient in rallies, using drop shots ineffectively and allowing Medvedev to stick with his successful defensive game plan.
Medvedev struck nine aces and only faced one break point, completing his victory with a forehand winner. He will play Diego Schwartzman on Friday.
Did You Know?
Medvedev is the first Russian to reach the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals since Nikolay Davydenko lifted the trophy in 2009.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/35Govv6
No comments:
Post a Comment