It has been a long time since Daniil Medvedev has played like the Daniil Medvedev the tennis world once knew — the one who wears his opponents down with relentless consistency from the baseline, forcing them to hit that extra shot before inducing the fatal error.
For a player who reached six Grand Slam finals, the most famous of which saw him end Novak Djokovic’s Calendar Slam hopes in 2021 with an astonishing straight-set win in the US Open title-decider, Medvedev hasn’t reached the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam since the 2024 US Open, the scene of his greatest triumph.
The former world number one, who has slumped to the 11th spot in the world rankings, faces a big challenge to regain his top form at a time when Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have started to dominate tennis in ruthless fashion.
Having so far failed to build on his title-winning campaign in Brisbane International, the pre-Australian Open event last month, the Russian will hope to turn the tables in Dubai.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships hold a special place in the Russian’s heart, having won the tournament in 2023.
On Tuesday, Medvedev was in cruise control against Juncheng Shang of China, winning his opening match 6-1 6-3.
“I like playing in Dubai. I like spending time in Dubai. So that helps. That’s why I’m coming back to the tournament. In general, the match I feel like was not bad,” Medvedev said.
Shang, the world number 262, was never expected to pose a serious challenge to Medvedev, who fired 20 winners and 10 aces.
The 30-year-old’s next round is a tricky game against wildcard Stan Wawrinka, the retiring Swiss great.
The 40-year-old Wawrinka has already got the crowds roaring at the Australian Open with his fighting spirit against younger rivals.
Now, the three-time Grand Slam winner, who won the Dubai title in 2016, is expected to get the crowd behind him when he faces Medvedev on Wednesday.
But Medvedev sounded confident of his chances.
“Actually, I shouldn’t judge myself too much just now,” he said. “I should try to pump myself up instead. I won 6-1, 6-3, so if we don’t put every point under the microscope, it was a good level in general, I look forward to the next match and raising my level even more.”
If he manages to get close to his highest level here, Medvedev could not only end Wawrinka’s Dubai swansong, but he could also find a way back to the upper echelons of tennis.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik stormed into the next round with a comprehensive 6-3 6-4 win over Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany.
“I think I played a solid match,” said Bublik. “I knew what shots I have to execute to get more chances to win easily, and I think I did well in more important moments.”
Bublik, the 2024 Dubai runner-up and the world number 10, is riding a wave of good results, having reached the French Open quarterfinals last year and the fourth round of the Australian Open last month.
The Russia-born player will now take on Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, who beat Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen 6-3 6-4.
Meanwhile, Canada’s Denis Shapovalov, a former world number 10, slumped to a 6-2 6-4 defeat against Spanish Qualifier Pablo Carreño Busta.
Source: Khaleej Times