A Daniil Medvedev lockdown in Dubai..

He beat Novak for a grand slam in New York a couple of year ago followed by a nail biter in Paris. He stretched Novak to three sets in the ATP Finals last year and he was the better player when he had to retire at one set all in Paris a few months back. Is it just a coincidence that Daniil Medvedev happens to play his best against probably the most complete player in tennis history or is there something in this matchup that makes Novak uncomfortable? A 5-9 losing record against Novak Djokovic is in fact very impressive and I think the Russian's ability to drag Novak out of his comfort zone is probably the biggest factor in this very balanced rivalry. What we saw in Dubai was an absolute masterclass from a vintage Daniil Medvedev against the best player in the world who had looked unbeatable since the start of 2023. A couple of early breaks in the first set meant that even a break of Medvedev's serve couldn't help Djokovic save the first set as he lost that one 4-6. The Serb didn't get off to an auspicious start to the second set as well as he lost serve in the very first game. Medvedev held on to his serve for the entirety of the set as he won the match 6-4 6-4. 
      We have seen Novak numerous times when he just locks his game and doesn't give anything away. When he plays against Medvedev, it's almost like he gets to experience what he throws at his opponents at times. Medvedev went into a complete lockdown two hours and refused to give anything to Novak as the unforced errors count at the end of the contest was 12-37 in Medvedev's favour. Drawing 37 unforced errors from Novak is something really unique. He wasn't missing them by a lot but be it by a millimeter or a foot, it doesn't really matter, does it?
     There are a few factors in this rivalry which makes Medvedev an extremely difficult opponent for Djokovic, especially on outdoor hard courts which are a little slower than indoor hard courts. The most important attribute to Medvedev's game which hardly any other player in the world has is the extreme shot tolerance. He can match Novak shot for shot and keep going as long as the opponent wants to. The height perhaps gives him a little edge over the other players but to put the ball back into play from almost any point on the court is just incredible. Novak very seldom faces someone with a better shot tolerance than him and Medvedev is certainly the next best after the big three when it comes to rallying. The second most important aspect to this rivalry is that Medvedev does like to play Casino tennis against Novak. It worked brilliantly in the US Open final and it does make Novak rethink about his strategies. Big second serves and making courageous deep returns make life extremely difficult for Djokovic. His speed across the court helps him enormously as we saw in Dubai on Friday. He was tracking down every drop shot that Djokovic presented and returning back with interest. 
      It was a very frustrating night for Novak as he kept missing the lines by a millimeter or two but that was the effect of long rallies and Medvedev just not giving anything. 20 unforced errors in the second set speak a lot but only 12 from Medvedev across two sets represent a performance from a man who is completely in control of his game right now. On a 13 match winning run right now and looking on course to beat a dear friend Andrey Rublev for a third tour title in three weeks, he is close to his best. It was only last year that he was the number one tennis player in the world. Daniil Medvedev being at his best is a good news for tennis in general. Not only because he presents a realistic challenge to Djokovic but also because he is a very markable tennis pro as well. If Medvedev gets even better in the coming weeks, it will be fun watching him in Indian Wells and Miami. 

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