Medvedev's Magic Versus Top 10

There is no one in the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings outside of the Big Three — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — that has a better winning percentage against the elite than Daniil Medvedev.

According to the Infosys ATP Performance Zone, Medvedev sits No. 19 overall in the Open Era with a 16-19 win-loss record (.457) against Top 10 opponents. He has a better winning percentage than the likes of former World No. 1s Carlos Moya (44-60, .423), Jim Courier (57-73, .421), Thomas Muster (37-51, .420) and Yevgeny Kafelnikov (46-67, .407).

Dominic Thiem may have received recognition for his ATP Head2Head record against the Big Three – Federer (Thiem leads 5-2), Nadal (6-9) and Djokovic (5-7) — but the Austrian's winning percentage against the Top 10 is the not as high as Medvedev's. He is No. 22 in the list, with a 32-41 (.438) mark. 

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Last year, Medvedev was struggling by his high standards, entering the final two tournaments of the year with an 18-10 record. But a late-season surge led him to winning a third ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Paris Masters and the biggest title of his career at the Nitto ATP Finals. It was an ominous sign and a return to his giant-slaying ways.

With victories over Djokovic, Nadal and Thiem at The O2 in London, he became the first player to defeat the Top 3 at the Nitto ATP Finals. Medvedev was also the first player to do so at any tournament since David Nalbandian's 2007 Mutua Madrid Open run.

It sets up Medvedev for another big surge in 2021.

With eight Top 10 wins in 2019 and seven last year, Medvedev's confidence continues to grow. Since breaking into the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings on 15 July 2019, at the start of a magical North American summer swing, Medvedev has posted a 12-7 record against Top 10 opponents.

As Medvedev prepares in Australia for the ATP Cup and the Australian Open, the goals of the 24-year-old will be clear. Carry his late 2020 form in 2021, make a bigger impression against the Big Three – Federer (Medvedev trails 0-3), Nadal (1-3) and Djokovic (3-4) – and potentially clinch more of the sport's biggest prizes.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2LEYdlL