Djokovic brings destruction into the Medvedev match

* Djokovic – Medvedev: Friday, March 3 at 10 pm, Hanoi time.

Medvedev won the last two tournaments, creating a 12-match winning streak before rematching Djokovic today. But the Russian tennis player admitted himself in the lower bracket. He said: "Against Djokovic, he's always in the top. I'm not sure about the numbers but maybe Djokovic won 50 games and lost only 4.5. He played well, moved well and was uncharacteristic. 35 years old".

Djokovic has in fact won 50 of his last 53 matches since the Rome Masters last year. During that time, Djokovic beat Medvedev in two white sets in the semi-finals of the Adelaide International earlier this year. Serbian tennis players become a difficult problem for juniors. Even when not at his peak, Djokovic created a tug-of-war before finishing off his opponent in hinge games.

"Djokovic is strong, but I'm excited, not scared, to fight him," Medvedev added. "I will try to maintain my current form, find opportunities and take advantage of them."

Djokovic leads Medvedev 9-4 to the confrontation, but this statistic does not mean that the 22 Grand Slam owner completely overwhelms the progress of the matches. After a period of fierce competition with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the one who hurt Djokovic the most was Medvedev. The Russian tennis player smashed his senior with three white sets in the final of the US Open 2021, causing Djokovic to miss the opportunity to set a super record to win all four Grand Slams in the same year.

"Medvedev is probably one of the best guys of the past half-decade," Djokovic said at a press conference after the Dubai Championships quarter-final on March 2. "He won the Grand Slam, was number one. He has special qualities, especially when playing on hard courts."

Medvedev is back strong after falling to No. 12 ATP earlier this year. Consecutive titles in Rotterdam and Doha brought the former US Open champion back into the top 10. He regained his serve and turned his forehand into an effective counter-attack. Medvedev has only faced break-points twice on his way to the semi-finals of the Dubai Championships.

According to the ATP, Medvedev won 43% of the points defensively in Rotterdam and Doha. The challenge will be more difficult for the Russian tennis player when on the other side of the net is Djokovic, who is showing impressive serve and attack performance. Nole successfully holds 94% of serve games (151/160), the best stat in the ATP this season. He also ranked third among the best payers, winning 32% in 150 games.

From being the best return player, Djokovic is still the best serveer. "He's clearly become a server, at least on hard courts. Drops, spin and ball speed are all good," ATP expert Craig O'Shannessy said of Djokovic in his hand stats. racket after the first two months of 2023.

Only Djokovic or Medvedev still maintain the winning streak after the semi-finals of the Dubai Championships today. The winner is also more likely to win the championship, when their opponent in the final is Alexander Zverev or Andrey Rublev. Zverev is returning from a long hiatus last season, but has not yet reached his peak. Rublev struggled to reach the semi-finals, winning three tie-breaks in the last two matches.