“It’s great to be back in Turin two years after my debut. Competing at the ATP Finals is always one of the most important goals of the season,” Taylor Fritz said with excitement to kick-start his campaign in Turin. He will face Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in his first group-stage match. Medvedev won this title in 2020, but this year he has struggled to make full use of his chances in vital matches. Whereas, Taylor Fritz has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second time in the past three years. Who has the edge in this epic contest, though?

Taylor Fritz vs Daniil Medvedev: Preview

Taylor Fritz has won two titles this season. His first title of the season came at the Delray Beach Open, where he defeated his compatriot Tommy Paul by 6-2,6-3 in the final. After that, his most notable performances came at the Bavarian International. Fritz reached the final over there but was defeated by Jan-Lennard Struff (GER).

Then his second title triumph was at the Eastbourne International. However, his best performance in this season was at the US Open, where he reached the final. In the final, he was defeated by Jannik Sinner by 3-6,4-6,5-7. Taylor Fritz is entering this match after facing an early exit from the Paris Masters at the hands of Jack Draper (GBR).

Even his opponent in this match, Daniil Medvedev, was defeated in his first match at the Paris Masters by Australia’s Alexei Popyrin. For Medvedev, this season has been full of disappointments so far! He started his season pretty well by reaching the final of the 2024 AO, but over there he was defeated by Jannik Sinner in a five-set thriller. After that, he made quite a few long runs in his next tournaments, but he failed to deliver when it mattered the most. As things stand as of now, if Daniil Medvedev fails to win the ATP Finals, then this would be the first time since 2017 that he would end the season without winning a title. 

Fritz vs Medvedev: Head-to-Head

So far, these two have met each other only once in their careers. Currently, Daniil Medvedev leads the H2H scoreline against Taylor Fritz by a very fine margin (1-0).

• 2022 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati QF: Medvedev 7-6(1),6-3.

Prediction: Fritz to win in three sets

Fritz (6) currently has a win-loss record of 47-20 in this season, whereas Medvedev (4) has recorded 43-18 in 2024. The 28-year-old Russian superstar has a good track record of performing well in the group stages of the ATP Finals. He even reached the SF of this tournament last year. Still, we feel Taylor Fritz’s conversion rate in bringing out favorable results in crucial matches has been extremely impressive this season, unlike Medvedev!

If we take a sneak peek at their playing styles, Daniil Medvedev is more like a counterpunch with a powerful first serve in his armory. He loves hitting long, flat groundstrokes and often tends to wear down his opponents with lengthy baseline rallies. Apart from all this, his biggest strength is his ability to play consistently. Daniil Medvedev also has one of the best backhands on the Tour, however his forehands are comparatively weaker. Talking about his concerning factor, well Medvedev hit 11 aces in his previous match in Paris but committed 14 double faults. So, he needs to reduce the margin of error to stand a chance against the in-form American.

Taylor Fritz‘s gameplay is mainly focused on his fiery serves. He has hit a total of 687 aces in this season and we’re expecting him to add a few more in this tournament. Fritz is basically an offensive baseliner, and he loves hitting powerful groundstrokes to force errors from his opponents. His most consistent and powerful stroke is his forehand, and he also possesses a strong backhand. Even Taylor Fritz’s on-court movement is truly exceptional. So, if we head into long rallies, we can expect some fireworks from both of these superstars. However, if asked to pick one, Taylor Fritz would definitely be the choice at the moment.