The taste of victory has returned to the hands of Daniil Medvedev. The former World No. 1 lifted the 16th ATP Tour title of his career at the ABN AMRO Open on Sunday, beating Italy’s Jannik Sinner 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 to establish his authority in the Rotterdam indoor track.
“The match has been mentally very tough for both of them,” Medvedev acknowledged. “Jannik dominated the start of the first set, but we were playing very long points that always ended with some mistake from me. I felt a little heavy on my legs.
At the beginning of the second set I said to myself ‘something is wrong, he is playing better than me, I need to change details because everything is even’ So I started to be more direct with some shots. I was able to follow that line in the second set and push him mentally until the end of the match”.
In a vibrant finish in front of the Dutch crowd, two of the players most used to high-paced matches faced each other. Sinner’s foot speed met Medvedev’s tactical ability, resulting in a match with exchanges not for the faint of heart.
Sinner attended the match with the mission of breaking the defense of an impossible rival for the first time. The Italian jumped onto the track unleashed, ready to tear down a real wall at the bottom of the track. And the first sleeve was a clear example of the tough slope he was about to climb.
Although he caught the set, he had to watch as Medvedev turned 1-4 into 4-4, putting a clear threat on the table. Daniil’s intentions were made clear when the match went down. Gilles Cervara’s pupil, one of the greatest survivors from the locker room, managed to turn the score around with unprecedented confidence, taking the last two sleeves without delivering his serve again.
Medvedev is known for his different gestures
Daniil Medvedev is known for his different gestures and unique celebrations after winning matches and tournaments. “That was pretty funny, but its turned out to be a positive thing,” Daniil Medvedev said in his post-match conference, referring to his new celebration.
“Before the tournament, my coach has to tell me something, I was not feeling well in terms of my tennis. He was like, ‘Just, you know, continue’,” Medvedev explained. “During the first match, especially after the first set, I was showing him that if I continue like this it’s going to be 6-4, 6-4 for the guy because I just lost the first set 6-4,” Medvedev expressed.
