There is an observation from Infosys, the official ATP Tour technology partner which perhaps Novak Djokovic must have understood well in his preparations for the US Open 2023 final. Daniil Medvedev is one player who stands the most far behind the baseline out of all players when it is his turn to return an opponent’s first serve.
This ensures that Medvedev is impressive when it comes to executing successful returns which are nearer to the service line instead of the baseline. He has a win percentage of 61 in that regard, which is 8 percent more than Carlos Alcaraz, who stands at 53% and way ahead of Djokovic, who has a 50% win record for the same.
Daniil Medvedev leads when it comes to returns closer to the service line
Daniil Medvedev had an impressive US Open 2023 campaign, only losing in the final to Novak Djokovic on Sunday. The Russian star is renowned for his punchy, baseline-dominated game which makes him a threat on outdoor and indoor hard courts pretty much anywhere in the world. As a result, it makes Djokovic’s achievement monumental.
The World No.3 Medvedev surprised many by making it so far despite being a hard court specialist. It is because the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were expected to challenge Djokovic for the title. Yet, Medvedev managed to nearly repeat his 2021 US Open feat and here is an interesting insight surrounding his return game that continues to make him dangerous on hard courts.
Much like Rafael Nadal, Medvedev can come across as someone defensive on the first-serve return. However, that normally works well for the World No.3 since it gives him time to not only be on the baseline and cover it during a rally, but also to think about the next shot to be played by sizing up the opponent. This is because the natural instinct of most opponents is to attack if the ball drops near the service line.
It also allows Medvedev more time to return the ball since the service speed becomes slower for him. With his game suited more to be at the back, it becomes difficult to serve to the Russian since there is a surprise element in his return shots. It isn’t just that Medvedev’s shots come only around the service line.
Like his competitors, Daniil Medvedev does have returns which are nearer to the baseline, virtually in the lap of the opponent. The only difference is that he has incredible muscles to do so standing so deep behind. The only other player who is seen doing this is Casper Ruud, although his return percentage in this aspect is just 24% as compared to Medvedev’s 43%.
When it comes to returning near the baseline, even then, Daniil Medvedev at 58 percent comes a remarkable second to Carlos Alcaraz, who has won 63 percent of points doing so. However, Djokovic is close to Medvedev here, being third at 57%. With the Flushing Meadows having wide courts, it is no surprise that Medvedev loves playing in New York City more than another place.
Medvedev vs Djokovic US Open final
Daniil Medvedev managed to beat the likes of Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the Round of 16, his best friend and fellow Russian, Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals and the US Open 2022 winner, Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. But Novak Djokovic managed to hit back after his 2021 final defeat to Daniil Medvedev, when he lost 4-6, 4-6, 4-6. In a rematch on Sunday, Djokovic pulled off a straight sets victory of his own to clinch his 24th Grand Slam title. The Serbian legend won 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
With this result, Djokovic extended his lead against Medvedev, 10-5 on their head to head on the ATP Tour. It is likely that the two rivals would meet each other next at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin since both have qualified for the same.
