Medvedev about breaking the dominance of Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal at the US Open

Why Daniil can make a move at this US Open.

Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev is not the household name that Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic are. But a lot of tennis pundits are looking at him as the main person that could possibly break the dominance of the three aforementioned icons in the U.S. Open 2019. The Monaco-based Russian player is currently No.5 in the world rankings and has not won a Grand Slam yet. Many pundits and fans think that he may be this year’s dark horse at the Flushing Meadows.

Medvedev vs Nadal, Federer, Djokovic?

Medvedev’s track record in the past year points to a possible shock win in the U.S. Open 2019. Since the start of the year, Medvedev has racked up three straight finals, accumulating the most match wins for 2019 for any male tennis player with 44. He also achieved his first Masters 1000 title with his win in the Cincinnati Open, even defeating Djokovic in the semifinal.

Medvedev has proven to be among the brightest stars in the stable of the ATP’s young top players. The fact that he can prevail over the world No. 1 means that he certainly has the skills to match Nadal, Djokovic or Federer.

He is now considered by many as the strongest members of the NextGen, a term used by many to call the younger generation of tennis players who want to break the ceiling set by the Big Three. While he credits Djokovic and Andy Murray for inspiring his playing style, he has said that he does not want to copy anyone and wants to make a name for himself.

Medvedev about winning the US Open

In fact, Medvedev himself has said that he is still too young and inexperienced to be compared to the Big Three. While he is thankful for the comparisons, he needs to go beyond the quarters of a Grand Slam first before he starts to entertain other thoughts.

Daniil commented:

“If I get to the quarterfinal, it’s going to be already a step forward and I’m going to be really happy about it. But the three weeks I made really pushed a lot my confidence. Now I know that when I play my best tennis I can beat basically everybody, and that’s what I need to keep doing here.”

Medvedev, for his part, made a strong showing for the opening rounds of the U.S. Open 2019. He easily dispatched Indian player PrajneshGunneswaran, with a 6-4 6-1 6-2 score. If anything he has proven that the comparisons with the tennis icons may be reasonable.

So will Medvedev be able to defeat the Big Three? At this moment, it looks like it will be a toss-up between Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer, who have collectively held all Grand Slam titles since 2016. But if there is someone who can pull off an upset in the U.S. Open 2019, it is Medvedev.

Medvedev at the U.S. Open and results in 2019

Daniil Medvedev Stats info

Ranked no.5 (career-high), the Russian has a 44-16 win-loss record in 2019. The Russian is currently playing at the U.S. Open where he defeated Prajnesh Gunneswaran 6-4 6-1 6-2.

Medvedev will square off with Dellien in the 2nd round. They have never played each so far on the main tour.

The Russian has won 2 titles in Cincinnati and Sofia in 2019. Daniil was the finalist in Montreal, Washington, Barcelona and Brisbane.

Medvedev won 5 titles in his career. 3 on hard courts and 2 on hard courts. (See the list of his titles)