A self-proclaimed ‘hard-court specialist’, Daniil Medvedev is playing his best tennis on all three surfaces in 2023. The World No. 3 has captured five titles this year, including his first clay-court crown at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome. On Wednesday, Medvedev reached his maiden Wimbledon semi-final after ending Christopher Eubanks’ dream run in a heavy-hitting slugfest.
Medvedev dug his way out of a tough position against the American, rallying from two-sets-to-one down to advance. After Medvedev and Eubanks traded blows for five thrilling sets, which lasted nearly three hours, the 20-time tour-level titlist stood victorious on No. 1 Court.
“There was a moment in the match I started just losing kind of everything, the focus, the momentum of the match, which can happen of course at this level,” Medvedev said in his post-match press conference. “At one moment, really close to [losing]. But happy that I managed to put myself back together.”
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Part of what helped Medvedev mount a comeback to oust the crowd favourite was his serve. Medvedev fired 28 aces in the match and won 89 per cent of his first-serve points in the final two sets. The 2021 US Open champion was surprised that he also finished the match with just 13 unforced errors.
“I saw the stats after the match, I was like, ‘Wow!’ I felt like at one moment in the match, I was just missing in a way. It doesn’t show in the stats,” Medvedev said. “The way Chris plays, it’s actually tough to [make] an unforced error. He hits so strong, when you miss, it’s probably a lot of the time a forced error. When I saw the stats, ‘How did it go to five sets?’
“Maybe the way he hit through the ball counted to that. But what I saw is that I managed to step up my serve in the fourth set. That’s what I was missing in second and third. That was the key. I actually saw I lost two points on the serve in the fourth set, and one of them on the tie-break. That’s big. That puts a lot of pressure on your opponent. That’s very important on grass.”
Medvedev has now reached the semi-finals at three of the four majors, with this fortnight being his first of 2023. The 27-year-old has tallied a season-leading 46-8 match record and proven his game is effective on any surface, it is just a matter of adapting.
“On clay, for sure, I found something. Let’s say I adapted a lot,” Medvedev said. “I found something, especially in the movement. Again, for sure Rome was amazing. Even Roland Garros and other losses, Madrid and Monte-Carlo, I played good. It’s just my opponents were better. I didn’t have this feeling where, ‘Oh, my god, clay, I cannot win a match!’ I actually felt like I played well.
“Here I would say I managed to find the rhythm, which on grass I feel like you have to adapt less in a way. You just have to serve well and try to return and make one break a set, which sounds easy, but it’s not because your opponent is trying to do the same. I managed to find this rhythm which I rarely had on grass because the bounce sometimes goes through the court so you’re going to be late on the swing. I managed to find it so far, so hopefully I can find it for two more matches.”
Medvedev will next aim for a spot in his fifth major final when he clashes against Carlos Alcaraz on Friday. Alcaraz and Medvedev are tied at 1-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with the Spaniard winning their most recent meeting in the Indian Wells final. Medvedev, who is chasing his second major title this fortnight, is looking forward to having another crack at the World No. 1.
“It’s interesting to play someone like Carlos. He is an amazing, amazing player. What he continues to do is just unbelievable. He doesn’t stop. I don’t think he will,” Medvedev said. “But I’ve played a lot of great players in my career. I managed to win many times. So I’m going to try to do my best. If I show my best, I’ll have my chances.”