Ben Shelton and Jack Draper have emerged as two of the most promising players capable of troubling Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Shelton recently captured his fourth ATP title in Dallas, adding to his Australian Open quarterfinal run, while Draper, the 2025 Indian Wells champion, has battled through an arm injury since Wimbledon but remains a dangerous opponent.
Medvedev’s perspective on left-handers
Former world number one Daniil Medvedev, known for his unorthodox style, offered a surprising view when asked about facing left-handed players. Speaking to Tennis TV, he explained: “Mi chiedo sempre, perché non sono mancino, come si sentono. Da un lato, probabilmente direi che se chiedi a tutti i destri ti diranno: ‘Deve essere fantastico essere mancino’. Perché la maggior parte delle volte giochi contro un destro, quindi sei abituato. Noi destri invece non siamo abituati, perché li affrontiamo molto meno di quanto loro affrontino noi.”
Despite this reasoning, Medvedev concluded that left-handers may actually be at a disadvantage: “No, penso che sia molto complicato anche per loro e credo che sia un po’ uno svantaggio, perché giocano contro i destri più di quanto noi giochiamo contro di loro, quindi ogni partita è complicata, complicata, complicata.”
Historical context and matchups
Medvedev noted that throughout tennis history, left-handers have been relatively rare, even though some have achieved greatness. He emphasized that the tactical battle often revolves around using slice and exploiting the backhand side.
Medvedev’s record against left-handers
Currently, there are 12 left-handed players ranked inside the ATP top 100, with Shelton and Draper the highest-ranked among them. Medvedev has faced left-handers 39 times, winning 56.4% of those matches. His head-to-head record is positive against Draper, Cameron Norrie, and Denis Shapovalov, but he has struggled against Shelton, Ugo Humbert, and Learner Tien, who defeated him at the Australian Open.
With Shelton and Draper continuing to rise, their left-handed styles will remain a talking point in the ATP Tour. Medvedev’s comments highlight the complexity of adapting to different playing styles, and his own mixed record against left-handers shows that the debate over whether they hold an advantage or disadvantage is far from settled.
ATP Dubai - Daniil Medvedev's projected path
Medvedev in Dubai, ranking, and results in 2026
Ranked no.11, Daniil has a 12-3 win-loss record in 2026. The Russian is participating in Dubai where he managed to beat the world no.262 Juncheng Shang 6-1 6-3 and the world no.99 Stan Wawrinka 6-2 6-3.
Daniil Medvedev will compete against the world no.49 Jenson Brooksby in the quarter. Their current head to head is 1-0 for Medvedev.
Medvedev has won 1 title in 2026 in Brisbane.
The Russian won 22 titles in his career: 11 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts, 9 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Ben Shelton in 2026
Currently ranked no.9, the American played his last match on the 15th of February when he overcame world no.7 Taylor Fritz 3-6 6-3 7-5 in the final in Dallas to win his 4th career title.
This year the American has a composed 10-2 win-loss record. This year, Shelton won 1 title in Dallas.
Daniil Medvedev and Ben Shelton squared off only on 1 occasion. Their actual head to head record is 1-0 for Shelton.
