All You Need to Know About the Bitter Rivalry Between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev

If there’s any rivalry that can take over the ‘Fedal’ or ‘Djoker-Rafa’ rivalry in the future, it has to be the one between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev. The two next-gen players are really promising athletes and have already faced each other in some tough matches.

Tomorrow, they will once again be facing each other in the quarterfinals of the French Open 2021. Even though Daniil Medvedev has a 6-1 lead over Stefanos Tsitsipas in their head-to-head battle, the Greek player has every chance of beating the Russian tomorrow. Before that, let us have a look at some of the intriguing matches that the two have played against each other in the recent past.

Daniil Medvedev v Stefanos Tsitsipas: The first battle

The two first crossed paths in the first round of the Miami Open 2018. Tsitsipas was a teenager back then and had just turned into a professional player.

Even after winning the first set, the Greek player couldn’t hold to his lead through to the end. World No.2 Medvedev made a spectacular comeback and won the match, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

The match was the dawn of the next-gen era that is still continuing today. Although Tsitsipas lost there, he impressed fans with his exceptional performance at the age of 19.

Daniil Medvedev v Stefanos Tsitsipas: The first contest at a Grand Slam

The two players met again in 2018, this time at the US Open. It was the second round of the Grand Slam and while Tsitsipas tried hard, he was not able to break the defense of Medvedev.

Medvedev won the match with the final scoreline of 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. It was the first time when both of them competed against each other at a Grand Slam and it was Medvedev who maintained a 2-0 lead over Tsitsipas after winning this battle.

Daniil Medvedev v Stefanos Tsitsipas: The first battle on clay

Medvedev faced Tsitsipas on clay for the first time at the Monte Carlo Masters 2019. Surprisingly, it was the Russian player again who survived a close battle and defeated Tsitsipas. The final scoreline of the match was 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.

At the French Open 2021, the two will face each other for the second time on clay. Will Tsitsipas be able to take his revenge on Medvedev this time?

ATP Finals 2019: When Tsitsipas finally defeated Medvedev

The only time when Tsitsipas has defeated Medvedev in his career was at the ATP Finals 2019. Stunningly, he completely thrashed the Russian in straight sets with the final scoreline of 7(7)-6(5), 6-4.

Tsitsipas went on to win the ATP Finals 2019. Thus, fans believe that if he can beat Medvedev at Roland Garros 2021, he can go and lift the title in Paris this time.

The Australian Open 2021: When Medvedev took his revenge

Medvedev and Tsitsipas last met in the semis of the Australian Open this year. Even though Tsitsipas shocked Rafael Nadal and defeated him in five sets, he couldn’t stand against the deadly forehand of Medvedev.

As a result, the Russian player crushed him in straight sets and entered the finals, 6-4, 6-2, 7-5. However, he couldn’t battle past Novak Djokovic in the final and ended up as the runner-up of the Major.

Apart from these five encounters, Medvedev and Tsitsipas have met at the Basel Open 2018 and at the Shanghai Masters 2019, with Medvedev winning both these contests.

Fans are really looking forward to their clash at the French Open 2021. Will Medvedev extend his dominance over Tsitsipas or will the Greek player be able to secure his place in the semis of the tournament yet again?

Also Read: How Can Daniil Medvedev Dethrone Novak Djokovic From World No.1 Spot at French Open 2021?