Daniil Medvedev was aiming for his second main title and first Down Beneath this fortnight. As a substitute, he’ll go away the Australian Open with disappointment for a 3rd straight 12 months.
After nearly tasting victory a 12 months in the past in Melbourne, earlier than Rafael Nadal’s epic comeback, Medvedev received’t see the second week of this 12 months’s event after Sebastian Korda upset the seventh seed 7-6(7), 6-3, 7-6(4) on Friday.
Regardless of the frustration of an early spherical straight-sets defeat, Medvedev gave a transparent minimize reply explaining the loss.
“I feel it was a match the place he was simply higher than me,” Medvedev mentioned in his post-match press convention. “Proper now I am struggling somewhat bit to win these sorts of matches towards opponents that may play at an excellent stage. That is what I’ve to search out again.”
Almost 11 months in the past, Medvedev rose to World No. 1 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings shortly after ending runner-up on the 2022 Australian Open. This 12 months’s lead to Melbourne means a far completely different final result for Medvedev’s rating. Friday’s third-round defeat means the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion will crash out of the Prime 10 for the primary time since July 2019.
Regardless of not getting previous the fourth spherical in his previous three Slam appearances (Australian Open, US Open, Roland Garros) and amassing simply two Tour-level titles in 2022 (Los Cabos, Vienna), Medvedev is hungry to search out solutions to assist raise him in the direction of contending for the sport’s most prestigious titles once more. The 26-year-old additionally suffered a trio of tight three-set defeats on the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals. However he’s not giving up hope.
“My photographs are there, I am doing the precise factor,” Medvedev mentioned. “Right now was somewhat bit completely different the place he was on prime of me on a regular basis and I used to be attempting to come back again each set, attempting to battle, attempting to be there.
“That is why tennis is so robust as a result of within the Prime 30 everybody can beat all people. After all, the Prime 10 are extra constant, and that is why I am dropping down somewhat bit now however everybody can beat all people.”
Though Medvedev had received his earlier assembly with Korda on the 2021 Rolex Paris Masters, the American introduced a special stage as we speak, firing his all-court sport from each nook of the court docket. The 22-year-old produced constant depth and sometimes labored his manner ahead to check Medvedev’s deep court docket positioning.
Medvedev isn’t the one one to note nice potential within the younger American Korda. Within the first week of the season, Novak Djokovic fended off a championship level to defeat the Florida native and win the Adelaide Worldwide 1. The 92-time Tour-level titlist mentioned Korda has, ‘beautiful-looking tennis’. The 2021 US Open champion Medvedev additionally praised Korda following their contest on Rod Laver Area, revealing that his model of play reminds him of the person who beat Korda in Adelaide a pair weeks in the past.
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“Essentially the most tough factor is that he hits the ball very sturdy. Most likely one of many strongest hitters,” Medvedev mentioned. “Additionally takes [the ball] very early. There are another guys taking part in like this, however they miss greater than him. And he did not miss that a lot.
“His sport is form of completely different from all people as a result of he’s very aggressive and takes the ball very early. Just a little bit possibly like Novak.”
Medevdev, who drops to No. 12 within the Pepperstone ATP Stay Rankings, was aiming to turn into the fourth man within the Open Period to achieve three consecutive Australian Open finals. The 15-time Tour-level titlist will as an alternative have a number of weeks off from competitors earlier than his subsequent occasion, the ATP 500 occasion in Rotterdam, which runs from 13-19 February.