Fasten your seat for the battle of the two ‘Meds’ in the historic city of Rome! Defending champion Daniil Medvedev takes on the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion, Hamad Medjedovic in the third round (R32) of the 2024 Italian Open. Medvedev was forced to retire in the middle of his QF match in Madrid due to an injury. But in Rome, he has picked up from where he left last year! Medvedev has come closer to clinching titles several times this year but has missed it by a whisker. Will Rome bring his fortunes back yet again this year?

Hamad Medjedovic might well give an answer to this question after his match on Monday. The 20-year-old Serbian tennis sensation is already labeled as one of the brightest prospects in the tennis world. He is currently on a four-match winning streak in his debut appearance at the Italian Open. It will be interesting to see if he really has the potential to cause a few more surprises and make a deep run into the tournament. 

Daniil Medvedev vs. Hamad Medjedovic: Preview

Daniil Medvedev has already appeared in two finals, two semifinals, and one quarterfinal this year. Despite all these stellar performances and consistencies that he has shown this year, he has failed to perform when it mattered the most. However, he started his title defense campaign at the Italian Open in an elite style. Medvedev defeated the British tennis star, Jack Draper in his previous match by 7-5, 6-4. And with this victory, Medvedev has now earned his 100th match win at the ATP Masters 1000 level.

Looking at his numbers from that match, Daniil Medvedev has managed to hit three aces and committed just two double faults. His first-serve win percentage was 83% but it dropped to 42% on the second-serve. The Russian tennis star converted five of his nine breakpoints in that match and won eight of his service games against Draper.

Daniil Medvedev heavily relies on his powerful serves and he has managed to fire in a total of 160 aces so far this season. But the double faults have crept up to 116 in this year. This is something he needs to keep a check on in the rest of his matches this season. Medvedev has won 80% of his service games and 28% of his return games so far. Do you think acing the aces will be the key to snatching an early lead for the Russian against the talented youngster?

Hamad Medjedovic has looked pretty ordinary this season before entering this event in Rome. In the Italian Open, he defeated Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina by 7-6(4),6-4 in his previous match. Apart from the result, the most interesting number from that match was the number of aces he managed to hit in that match against the Spaniard. Medjedovic fired ten aces and committed just four double faults throughout the match. His first-serve win percentage was 74% and his second-serve win percentage was 68%. 

Hamada Medjedovic converted three of his seven breakpoints against Fokina and won nine of his service games. His numbers have improved a lot in this tournament. If we look at his record for this season, the youngster has managed to hit twenty-seven aces and committed just six double faults so far. Surprisingly, Medjedovic has won 89% of his service games but it dropped to 7% on his return games. Have both tennis players played against each other in the past?

Medvedev vs Medjedovic: Head-to-Head

No, they haven’t met each other earlier on the tour. And this is exactly why this contest is going to be so exciting. Hamad Medjedovic hasn’t yet dropped a set in this tournament, while this will be Daniil Medvedev’s second match in this year’s tournament. Medjedovic has nothing to lose but a lot to earn. So, he will surely display a fearless brand of tennis. But is it an alarm bell for the defending champion of Rome?

Prediction: Medvedev to win this match by three sets

Despite having a vast experience of playing on these bigger stages of the game, Daniil Medvedev might face a tough challenge in this match. This is the first time Hamad Medjedovic has reached the third round of a Masters 1000 tournament and in fact, it’s also the first time he’ll be playing a competitive match against a Top 10. So, there is surely going to be some extra energy in his game on Monday. Daniil Medvedev recently spoke about the slow and heavy conditions in Rome this year. He found it difficult to hit the winners in his last match.

Are we going to see some tactical change from Medvedev this time around? It will be interesting to see if he changes his defensive style to a bit more aggressive style. Just to put the newcomer on the back right from the word go. Medvedev’s ability to play longer rallies to make opponents tired is something Medjedovic may well be aware of before stepping onto the court. He would love to bank on his powerful forehands to clinch a few points in the match. While forehand has been one of the biggest weaknesses of the Russian.

However, he possesses one of the best backhands on the tour. But are we heading to a big surprise on Monday? Well, there are least chances of Medjedovic outclassing Medvedev at the moment.