After a disappointing grass-court swing, Stefanos Tsitsipas is back on his favorite surface! He will take on the Next Gen ATP Finals champion, Hamad Medjedovic, in the R16 of the Swiss Open on Wednesday (July 17). The Greek has played some of his best tennis of this season on this surface and he’ll be keen to gain a fair bit of winning momentum ahead of the Paris Olympics. “I feel very confident when I step on the dirt. I always show my best tennis on this surface,” said Tsitsipas in a previous interview. Can the 20-year-old withstand the mighty Greek?

Hamad Medjedovic played most of his tennis on the ATP Challenger circuit this season. He missed the first part of the clay court swing due to injury. However, the Serb made a strong comeback and reached the QF of the Challenger Salzburg, AT. Even here, he has got off to a winning start, but it’ll be interesting to see how well he can perform against the former world number 3.

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Hamad Medjedovic: Preview

The 25-year-old Greek tennis heartthrob has been in decent form this year. He won a title in Monte Carlo, and apart from that, he has also reached one final, one SF, and three QF. Despite his incredible run on the dirt, he failed to carry forward the momentum on grass. Stefanos Tsitsipas was defeated by Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori by four sets in the second round of the Wimbledon Championships. However, the Greek’s numbers were quite impressive in that match.

He hit 20 aces and committed just 6 double faults. His first-serve win percentage was 79%, and his second-serve win percentage was 58%. Tsitsipas converted two out of his three breakpoints against Ruusuvuori. Now, if we take a look at his numbers this season, the Greek has hammered 261 aces and committed 121 double faults. He has won 87% of his service games, while it’s just around 25% in his return games.

On the other hand, his opponent from Serbia entered this match after defeating the Swiss Marc-Andrea Huesler by 6(3)-7, 7-6(2), 6-3 in the previous round. Medjedovic hit 7 aces and committed 1 double fault against Huesler. He won 79% of his first-serve and 65% of his second-serve. However, in the breakpoints, the youngster could only manage to convert one out of his three chances.

Tsitsipas vs Medjedovic: Head-to-Head

Both of these players haven’t played against each other on the Tour. In fact, this will be the first time Tsitsipas will be taking part in this tournament. However, Hamad Medjedovic entered the tournament last year as a qualifier and won five straight matches to reach the semis. So, does this record make him a favorite at Roy Emerson Arena on Wednesday?

Prediction: Tsitsipas to win in three sets

Hamad Medjedovic loves playing on clay and his talent is truly undeniable. However, if we look at Stefanos Tsitsipas’ record on this surface in the 2024 season, it’ll be tough not to mark him as a favorite in this encounter. The former number 3 has a win-loss record of 30-13 season compared to just 5-5 of Medjedovic, giving him superior momentum on the surface. Apart from that, the Greek comes up with a lot more experience than the young challenger. In fact, he’s also 110 ranks above the Serbian tennis player.

Tsitsipas’ aggressive baseline game, along with some powerful groundstrokes and bug serves, may turn out to be a bit too hot for the Serb to handle. Fans will be keen to watch more of his majestic one-handed backhand shots in this match. However, the Greek needs to put a check on his unforced errors to avoid giving any unwanted advantages to his opponent. For Medjedovic, the key to success will be utilizing his big serves and huge forehands, and he also needs to grab his chances with both hands. However, looking at their current form and their experience of playing in bugger matches, Stefanos Tsitsipas looks most like to have the last laugh in this intriguing encounter.