Daniil Medvedev pulled off an underarm serve as he outlasted Alexander Zverev and joined Novak Djokovic as a winner on day two of the ATP Finals on Monday.
Medvedev prevailed 6-3, 6-4, while Djokovic cruised past ATP Finals debutant Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-2 in an empty O2 Arena in London.
Djokovic and Medvedev are to meet today to secure the group lead.
Photo: AFP
Medvedev led 4-3, 30-30 in the second set when he surprised Zverev with a quick underarm serve. It brought the German to the net and he lost the point when his backhand block volley flew long.
“My wide serve was not working as well as I would like, and he was returning good,” Medvedev said. “I see that he was 5m behind the baseline and I have the ball close to my racket, so I thought: ‘Go for it’... It actually worked. It’s also smart.”
Two games later, he served a love game to earn his first win at the ATP Finals in his fourth match going back to last year.
Medvedev went 0-3 in his first ATP Finals, including a loss to Zverev, which he avenged after an attritional opening set.
Zverev, the 2018 champion, earned a break in the first game, but gave it straight back with three double faults. Another double fault by Zverev in the sixth game gave Medvedev a 4-2 lead, and the Russian finished the set with his first ace.
A weak forehand into the net cost Zverev the decisive break at 3-3 in the second.
Medvedev held with the underarm serve, and he beat Zverev again eight days after winning their Paris Masters final.
“This was one of the most [intense matches] I had in my career,” Medvedev said.
Meanwhile, the top-ranked Djokovic smothered Schwartzman after conceding an early break and, despite no fans inside the 20,000-capacity O2 Arena, he gestured to each section as if to say thanks.
“Why I celebrated? Because that’s my celebration and that’s also my gratitude to the court and to this opportunity to be able to compete,” the Serb said. “Even though there was no crowd in the stands, I know that there was a lot of people watching it on TV, so that was me sharing that emotion with them.”
Djokovic has not lost an opening ATP Finals match since 2007 against David Ferrer. He has also never lost to Schwartzman in six matches.
“It felt like a practice session in a way,” Djokovic said of playing in the empty stadium.
He has won the elite, season-ending event five times — one short of Roger Federer’s record.
Schwartzman qualified for his first ATP Finals by reaching the French Open semi-finals and two finals, including at the Italian Open, where he lost to Djokovic.
“That start of the match he was not playing his best,” Schwartzman said. “I took the chance at the beginning, but then that break back from him... I did too many mistakes.”
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two