Dubai, Medvedev beats Rublev: third consecutive title

He beat the insatiable Djokovic, hard not to tear the tender Andrey Rublev to pieces. Daniil Medvedev, if anyone still had a doubt left, is back in a cannibal version. Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and fourteen consecutive victories: the former world number 1 liquidated his childhood friend in an hour, leaving him just 4 games and closed a 1250-point treble.

Confidence

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We had seen the game, you don’t become number 1 by chance. Daniil Medvedev lacked confidence. A story seen many times in tennis and more generally in individual sports where you are alone with yourself, joys and sorrows: “I managed to regain my confidence – he said after beating Nole -. I feel like I am once again in control of the my game, this is confidence for me. I just want to stay on top of the wave right now. The mental aspect is very important to me, but nothing too meditative like yoga. I talk about it I like to eat sweets and a Sometimes I stay up late playing Play Station. On weekends, if it happens, I also have a drink with friends…”.

The match

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The numbers speak for themselves: 80% of points won on serve, with 19 winning and only 8 free against Rublev’s 13 winning and 22 free. Daniil immediately puts his foot on the accelerator: he breaks at the opening and then confirms the lead for 2-0. Rublev tries to vary as much as possible, makes a few sorties on the net, pushes sometimes with the cross and sometimes with the long line, but on the other side of the net there is a rock solid player. Medvedev wins two balls for the double break (4-1), but Rublev saves himself. At 4-2 he still ends up 0-30 down: Medvedev gets to the ball at 5-2 and converts it. In the fifth game of the second set, the former number 1 takes the lead again and closes with a double 6-2.