Daniil Medvedev is one of the best players in the world. He reached this position by being a master at strategy. Often, players do not reveal their strategies to ensure they can surprise their opponents. However, Medvedev revealed that he enjoys taking big serves from a few big steps behind the baseline. But in his ongoing Australian Open match with Hubert Hurkacz, he employed a different move.
Medvedev shared what he likes to do in an interview with Jim Courier. But he chose to opt for another move in the first game, which served to his advantage greatly. Regardless, it didn’t take long for him to go the usual route.
Daniil Medvedev changes things up
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In the grand slam, a player needs to use everything in their capacity. Medvedev is no different. Usually, fans will see him receive fast serves from far behind the baseline. However, against Hurkacz, arguably one of the best servers in the tournament, Medvedev chose to opt to receive the serve on the baseline itself.
Jose Morgado shared a picture of him taking the Polish player’s serve on the baseline. He wrote, “Interesting returning position from Medvedev in his first return game post Courier interview. ahah” Medvedev possibly chose the counter and volley strategy, which means he rushes the net after returning the shot. The new move came in handy as he managed to break Hurkacz’s serve right away.
Interesting returning positon from Medvedev in his first return game post Courier interview. ahah pic.twitter.com/HjQCbIX6R5
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 24, 2024
Although he broke Hurkacz’s serve, Medvedev went back to the usual stance of going back far behind the baseline to pick his serve. One fan shared a picture of him standing far behind as they wrote, “Back to business lmao”.
Back to business lmao pic.twitter.com/xH10myCjLk
— emily (@janniksinners) January 24, 2024
As the match continues, we will see more such strategies from Medvedev and Hurkacz as they attempt to move on to the semifinals. For now, Daniil Medvedev took the first set from the Polish player as it ended with the score reading 7-6.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Medvedev has come a long way in the sport as he has also risen to number 1. While he is a great player now, on the junior tour, an Aussie player believed him to be the worst.
‘this boy was just terrible’ – Nick Kyrgios once believed Medvedev should give up
The Australian player recently spoke with Eurosport about Medvedev, who is still young. When Kyrgios played with Medvedev, he didn’t think he could go far. For him, he was a terrible player. “I played against him in juniors in Roehampton and I won him by 6-3, 6-3. I was like the dominant junior and this boy was just terrible. He had the worst technique I’ve ever seen in my life.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Kyrgios further said that he thought Medvedev should give up. Regardless of the difficulties, the Russian star persisted and has become the best player in his country and one of the best in the world. Now, he is on a stint to win his second slam.
Watch This Story – Chris Rock References Serena Williams’ Glorifying Legacy To Sarcastically Bash Digital Attention Seekers