Daniil Medvedev on the change to his game that helped him become a defensive ‘genius’ at Australian Open

ByEurosport

Published 22/01/2022 at 11:50 GMT

“Two or three years ago, we started to work really hard on this aspect of my game because there were many matches, the first set would be tough and then [in the following set] I would drop down my level significantly,” said Daniil Medvedev of his improved fitness after his straight-sets win over Botic van de Zandschulp at the Australian Open. Mats Wilander called him a defensive genius.

Daniil Medvedev cruised into the fourth round of the Australian Open after overcoming Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4 6-4 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena.

The Russian secured a convincing victory over the Dutchman who achieved his career-best record by progressing through to the third round.

Medvedev, who reached the 2021 final, will be looking to go one step further this year, and told Mats Wilander, Johanna Konta and Alize Lim that a renewed dedication to fitness has contributed to his emergence as one of the dominant forces in men’s tennis.

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“Well, I'm trying to do a lot with my fitness coach,” Medvedev told Eurosport.

“Maybe two or three years ago, we started to work really hard on this aspect of my game because there were many matches - even three-set matches – the first set would be tough and then [in the following set] I would drop down my level significantly.

“So sat down with my team and we're like, ‘okay, this has to improve. We have to do better’. And yeah, I started to work really hard on the tennis court and I am very happy about it."

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Next up for Medvedev is Maxime Cressy, who beat Christopher O’Connell in straight sets to make the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time.

The rising French player will have his work cut out with a match against the world No. 2, a player Wilander says is a genius.

“He's an absolute genius when it comes to defending,” began Wilander.

“We always thought that Rafa [Nadal] was incredible, [Roger] Federer is unbelievable and [Novak] Djokovic is completely unbelievable, but they defend differently.

“Medvedev defends from a very defensive position, but he's aggressive in the shot he hits; Nadal would loop it up.”

“What a genius! They call him the octopus.”

Highlights: Medvedev powers past Van de Zandschulp in Melbourne

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