Daniil Medvedev arrives at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships preparing to open against left hander Juncheng Shang, whom he defeated in his ATP debut in Qatar last season. Medvedev’s comments on left handed opponents have become a talking point in the lead up to the event, as he offers a detailed perspective on the tactical challenges these matchups present. He emphasises that familiarity — or lack thereof — with left handed play affects both sides of the court in different ways.

“I always wonder, because I’m not a left handed, how do they feel,” Medvedev told Tennis TV when asked about left handed opponents. “Because on one side, I would probably say if you ask all the right handers they are going to say, ‘It must be super good to be a left hander.’ Why? Because most of the time you are going to play a righty, so most of the time you are going to be used to it. And we as right handers are not going to be used to it, as we play them much less than they play us.”

The Russian’s career record against left handed players stands at 63–34, a sample that reflects both his experience and the unique tactical demands these matches impose. Over the past 52 weeks, Medvedev is 7–6 against lefties, a mark that suggests competitive balance in recent play.

His ranking, currently world No. 11, places him on the fringe of the top 10 — and while a title in Dubai would be significant, it would not on its own be sufficient to propel him back into the top 10 bracket at this stage of the tour.

Medvedev’s season has had its ups and downs. After an opening stretch that included eight consecutive wins, he claimed the title at the Brisbane International and reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, where he lost to left hander Learner Tien, against whom his head to head stands at 1–3. More recently, however, he has posted three losses in his last four matches, underscoring the inconsistency that has hovered over parts of his season.

Medvedev has been explicit in describing the strategic interplay when right handers face left handers. “No, I do think it’s very tricky for them as well and I actually do think it’s a bit of a disadvantage, because they play against right handers more than we play against them, so every match is tricky, tricky, tricky,” he explained. His point rests on the idea that lefties, by virtue of playing mostly right handers, must constantly adapt, while righties face lefties less often.

He outlined the tactical components succinctly: “So it’s a bit of a long story, the goal is to try and use a bit of slice, to throw them away on the backhand, they are trying to do the same. In any tennis match they are trying to break more than you, and whoever breaks is going to win the match probably.” That emphasis on slice and backhand placement mirrors patterns seen in matches where court positioning and spin variation dictate momentum.

Medvedev’s confrontation with left handers tests both patience and pattern recognition. The subtleties of cross court angles, serve placement and rally construction often become decisive, and Medvedev’s understanding of these elements has been honed through both practice and competition.

Dubai has been a productive venue for Medvedev in the past. He won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title in 2023, defeating Andrey Rublev in the final, with a notable victory over Novak Djokovic en route. That week highlighted his ability to navigate a deep field on outdoor hard courts, blending baseline consistency with tactical adjustments against different styles. His 2023 run remains the only Dubai title of his career but stands as a reference point for his capability in these conditions.

Against Shang, Medvedev will rely on experience, tactical preparation and his familiarity with left handed tendencies. The strategic emphasis on slice, depth and variation — as he articulated — will be central to his game plan.

As Medvedev steps onto the court in Dubai for his first match, his focus will be on managing the tactical nuances that define left handed matchups. “Every match is tricky, tricky, tricky,” he reiterated, summarising the challenge these opponents present. With memories of his 2023 title as context and a season of contrasting results behind him, Medvedev aims to channel both experience and competitive precision into his performance in the United Arab Emirates.