Fans have revealed one reason why Daniil Medvedev should feel confident going into the US Open final where he will face Novak Djokovic.
Third seed Medvedev has had a solid run at this year's US Open. Although he dropped one set each against Christoper O'Connell, thirteenth seed Alex de Minaur, and top seed Carlos Alcaraz, the Russian has not yet been taken to five sets at Flushing Meadows as he heads into the final.
In his semi-final match against Alcaraz, the 27-year-old overcame the odds to oust the defending champion 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. He will now go on to face 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic in a re-match of the 2021 US Open final, which Medvedev won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Djokovic dominates their head-to-head, leading by 9 wins to 5. Nevertheless, Medvedev won their most recent meeting in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this year, taking the victory in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Moreover, fans have pointed out that this was Djokovic's only loss on hardcourts this year. While this is an incredible demonstration of the Serb's ability on the surface, it is also a reminder that if anyone is going to beat the Big Three member on hard courts, it will be Medvedev.
"Yup Med[vedev] definitely has been the toughest opponent on HC [hardcourt] for Novak since Fed [Roger Federer] declined
Even Rafa [Rafael Nadal] gets crushed by Novak on HC for years now and has lost like 20 sets in a row or something," wrote one Reddit user.
"Medvedev is the only player to win 3 sets in a hard court majors match against Djokovic since 2018 AO [Australian Open]," added another fan.
However, it will be a tough battle for Medvedev to take down the tennis legend. Djokovic looks very much in form right now, having defeated all-but-one of his opponents in straight sets so far in New York.
On the other hand, Medvedev will be able to take confidence from the fact that he defeated the defending champion and top seed to reach the final, meaning there is every chance he could win a second major title at Flushing Meadows.
Daniil Medvedev defeated top seed Novak Djokovic in semi final of Dubai Tennis Championships That drop shot on penultimate point of match 🔥 1st loss of Djokovic in 2023 Medvedev is yet to lose a single set in tournament #NovakDjokovic #Medvedev #DDFTennis #Djokovic #ATP500
