Rising stars offer a glimpse of the future at US Open
Medvedev follows fellow rookie Andreescu’s win by thrilling crowd in narrow defeat by Nadal
Amemorable US Open gave a sense of what tennis might look like in the years to come. A pair of rising stars – Bianca Andreescu and Daniil Medvedev – reached finals weekend, and both gave superb accounts of themselves under pressure.
After Andreescu had defeated Serena Williams in a breathless finale on Saturday night, Medvedev came up just short against the indomitable Rafael Nadal 24 hours later. Their lung-bursting five-setter lasted 4hr 51min and left Nadal in tears as he watched a pre-prepared video featuring clips from all 19 of his grand slam victories.
Moments later, in his interview with compere Chris Mckendry, Medvedev brought the house down with his wry delivery. “When I was looking on the screen,” he said, “and they were showing No1, No2 … No19, I was like, ‘If I would win, what would they show?”
What a transformation Medvedev has achieved in the six weeks since the American hardcourt season began in Washington, when he was an obscurity. Then, after his temper snapped during his third-round US Open match with Feliciano Lopez, he was a pantomime villain, baiting the crowd with a middle-finger salute.
For a couple of matches, he revelled in his anti-hero status,
Daniil Medvedev (Russian, aged 23, below): Will be expected to kick on after New York
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greek, 21): World No7 has won three ATP Tour titles
Alexander Zverev (German, 22): World No6 has been as high as No3 upping the ante with two provocative on-court interviews. Many enjoyed it, as a contrast from the cultivated blandness of so many leading players. Some even felt disappointed when, on the approach to the final, Medvedev apologised for his outbursts. But it would have taken too much energy to maintain the persona. Unlike the WWE bad guys, his part is not written for him.
“I know early in the tournament I said something in a bad way,” Medvedev told the crowd on Sunday, in another highlight of his perfectly judged speech. “Now I want to say it in a good way: it is because of your energy I am here!”
Medvedev is an unorthodox character, and clearly a nightmare to play against. Standing 6ft 6in, and almost painfully skinny, he stalks around the court like a giant wading bird. He has a ball toss that looks almost amateurishly casual, and a relatively underpowered forehand. But he just keeps winning. In 2019, he has run up 50 victories – the most on the tour.
You cannot tell from his demeanour whether he is winning or losing. He strolls back to his position with the same lugubrious air, fiddling with the chain around his neck. This poker face is a strength in long matches. He can look weary, as he did midway through the second set, and then find some reserve tank of gas. So, what makes him so deadly? The answer is elusive, but it has something to do with his relentlessness: And then there is his ability to find killer shots just when he needs them. Against Nadal on Sunday, he turned around a two-set deficit by coming forward and showing deft touches on the volley. Given Medvedev’s reputation as a stretched-out Novak Djokovic, it was no surprise that the final featured dozens of epic rallies. What was more unexpected was how often both players rushed the net. Oddly, more points were decided in the forecourt than in the Wimbledon final between Djokovic and Roger Federer. But then both men found it difficult to break down their opponent’s defence on this slow court, so perhaps there was no alternative. In the end, it was Nadal’s softer hands – an often underappreciated part of his game – that swung the match.
Nadal brought a specific game plan, in another reminder of how varied his skill set is. Here is a key strength of the “Big Three”. The old fellows have many different ways of approaching a match, whereas the younger generation are like Bruce Willis: they play the same part every time they go to work.
Considering the giant experience gap he was up against,