After facing off and losing to Rafael Nadal in the 2019 U.S. Open final, Daniil Medvedev restarts his quest to win another title as he participates in the ongoing Asian swing on the other side of the world. The Russian star, who is currently in China for the Shanghai Masters, is one of the favorites to win the competition.
When asked about how battling Nadal in the American hard courts felt, Medvedev emphasized that while he learned a lot in the match, it will ultimately be inessential. He pressed that he had already achieved a lot even before the final with the French tennis icon. He, however, clarified that it was still an important achievement because it gave him insight into how icons like Spaniard play.
Before the US Open, the young Russian has never reached a semifinal stage on any Grand Slam tournament. In fact, he has a dismal record in the French Open, where he has been eliminated in the first round in his first three tries. But his great performance in Flushing Meadows had a good impact on his ranking, boosting him to a career peak of no. 4.
Medvedev on a collision course with Khachanov and Djokovic in Shanghai
As Medvedev enters the Shanghai Masters, the 23-year old Russian star has a huge spotlight trained on him. While a lot of people are betting on either Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer to win the Masters 1000 tournament, many also think that Daniil can turn out to be the dark horse.
That does not mean that he will have an easy route to the finals. If he goes all the way to the top eight, he might have to defeat fellow Russian compatriot Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals. The two are actually close, joining forces together once in a while to play doubles. They also faced each other off in the Canadian Open in August.
Djokovic may also block Medvedev from reaching the finals. The two are set to battle in the semifinal rounds.
Medvedev already qualified for the ATP Finals
Meanwhile, Medvedev’s great performance in the past year has been rewarded as he was announced as having qualified for the ATP Finals in November. He was the fourth singles player to be announced for the tournament scheduled on November 10-17 in London’s The 02 Arena. Apart from him, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Austrian player Dominic Thiem will also be in the event.
Daniil Medvedev’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.4 (career-high), Daniil played his last match on the 22nd of September when he beat Borna Coric 6-3 6-1 in the final in St. Petersburg to win his 6th career title.
This year Daniil has a 53-17 win-loss record. Daniil has won 3 titles in 2019 in Sofia, in Cincinnati and in St. Petersburg. The Russian was the finalist in Brisbane, in Barcelona, in Washington, in Montreal and at the U.S. Open.
Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.2, Nadal played his last match on the 8th of September when he defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4 in the final in U.S. Open to win his 84th career title.
This year Nadal has a 47-6 win-loss record. Rafael conquered 4 titles in 2019 in Rome, at the French Open, in Montreal and at the U.S. Open. Rafael was the finalist at the Australian Open.
Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal played each other 2 times. The head to head is 2-0 for Nadal.
The last time that they fought against each other, Rafael Nadal won 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4 in the final in New York in 08th September 2019.
Here the highlights.
Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal |
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