No tennis teacher will take the Russian’s forehand as an example for his students. It seems as if Daniil Medvedev has taught himself everything, or has been taught by a rather mediocre tennis teacher. His elbow often stays close to the body when he strikes, which gives the whole thing a really weird look. His swing ends sometimes with his racket against his neck, as if he wanted to hurt himself.
There are several videos on YouTube where tennis analysts examine Medvedev’s technique. The conclusion is often: something is not right. It is anything but an ideal technique. But, everyone also says, the output of the strokes is good. The grip of the forehand is puzzling. As one of the few players, the 26-year-old Russian uses a very ‘deep’ grip – a ‘western grip’ in tennis terms – intended to generate a lot of topspin. Strangely enough, the Russian hits very flat balls with that grip.
Authentic
As if Medvedev used to have no access to television in Russia, to watch other tennis pros like Pete Sampras play. Everything about his playing is authentic. A completely individual style. People who see him playing tennis for the first time will not think that they are looking at the number 1 in the world. Medvedev does not have the flexibility of Roger Federer or the muscles of Rafael Nadal. His haircut and clothing are also not striking. Behind that somewhat dull appearance, however, hides a fantastic tennis player, who heralds a new phase of the sport.
He’s a tall’counterpuncher‘ with tremendous service. A type of player that the ATP Tour had never seen. Medvedev’s DNA as a tennis player dates back to the beginning of this century, when the Australian fighter Lleyton Hewitt became the number 1 in the world. Hewitt was one of the first modern counterpunchers in tennis, a defensive player who fantastically ‘countered’ an opponent’s attack and then hit back on the attack: ‘punching’.
Also read: “Twenty years ago everyone had a bad backhand. The sport has changed’
Fast, physical players like Novak Djokovic (34) and Andy Murray (34) perfected what Hewitt did. A player like Medvedev, and with him the German Alexander Zverev (24), is essentially also a player who defends endlessly from the baseline. In the past, these types of players were mostly small, fast guys, but not in today’s tennis, which gets more physical every year.
What sets Medvedev apart is his height. He is the 27th leader of the world ranking and by far the tallest number 1 ever, at 1.98 meters. His compatriots Marat Safin (1.93 meters) and Yevgeni Kafelnikov (1.91 meters), both short-lived list leaders around the turn of the century, also stand out in terms of height.
Medvedev combines apparently physically incompatible qualities: height and speed. Because he is lightning fast. Like the American Michael Chang (1.75 meters) in the nineties, he runs from corner to corner. His serve is almost as dangerous as that of American John Isner (2.08 meters). His double-handed backhand is the best of the tour, along with Djokovic’s. His return, hit from behind the baseline, is also world class.
Instinctively
He combines this arsenal of tricks with his ability to ‘play chess on the court’. He instinctively feels what to do. Every ball has been thought through in the game of the Russian. If someone shows a weakness, he exploits it. It’s not for nothing that John McEnroe called Medvedev the ‘Bobby Fischer of tennis’ this year, after the American chess legend.
If Medvedev hits a backhand straight, he does so because he can score six balls later on the other side. If he deliberately makes rallies long, he wants to win after a three-hour battle of wear and tear.
With this unique game, Medvedev has worked his way up to number 1 in the world in recent years. He won his first Grand Slam tournament at the US Open last year by beating Djokovic. Due to the absence of Djokovic at the Australian Open – the Serb was not vaccinated against the corona virus and was expelled from the country – Medvedev was in the lead. The surprising defeat of Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Dubai against the Czech Jiri Vesely led to Medvedev being the new number 1 in the world from Monday.
The Russian said he had “double feelings” about reaching this milestone, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He pointed out last week that a Russian and a Ukrainian (Andrei Roeblev and Denys Molchanov) had recently won the doubles title together at the ATP tournament in Marseille. “As a tennis player, I want to promote peace in the world,” Medvedev said, indirectly denouncing the actions of his president Vladimir Putin.
With the Russian as the new number 1, after eighteen years, the reign of the ‘big four’: Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray has come to an end. However, both Nadal (35) and Djokovic are strong enough to return to the throne. The Spaniard has beaten Medvedev twice this year. Nadal won his 21st Grand Slam tournament – a men’s record – by beating the Russian in the final in Melbourne: a grueling five-setter. And on Friday, Nadal was the strongest in the semifinals of the Acapulco ATP tournament and also won the title, his third this year.
Starting next week, the eyes of the tennis world will be on the American ‘Sunshine Double’, the Masters tournaments of Indian Wells and Miami. On hard courts, Medvedev can confirm his No. 1 status as the face of a new generation of tennis players, who slowly struggled out of the suffocating grip of the most successful generation ever.
#number #world #Daniil #Medvedev #kind #tennis #player