Daniil Medvedev revealed that he struggled with doubts at the start of the year, but now feels much better after winning a third straight title. On Saturday, Medvedev beat his compatriot Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-2 in the final in Dubai.
For Medvedev, it was his third title in as many weeks. Previously, Medvedev went as far as Rotterdam and Doha. Earlier in the year, Medvedev was not playing very well and suffered a shock two-set loss to Sebastian Korda in the third round of the Australian Open.
«It’s amazing because at the beginning of the year it wasn’t perfect. In tennis, when you don’t win matches, you have doubts. Now I feel better. I was very happy with these three weeks and I’m really looking forward to starting.» the next», Medvedev said, according to the ATP website.
How did Medvedev defeat Rublev?
Medvedev got off to a perfect start in the Dubai final, breaking Rublev in the first game of the match. Breaking early, Medvedev broke Rublev again in the seventh game and routinely served for the first set in the next game.
After easily losing the first set, Rublev rallied a bit early in the second set. Through the first three games of the second set, no breaks were seen as Rublev held a 2-1 lead. Then Medvedev put into another gear as he claimed back-to-back breaks in the fifth and seventh games to win five games in a row and complete a straight-sets victory in style.
«It was very tactical [match]. I know Andrey can cause a lot of trouble for everyone on Tour. Every time we play he tries to make me suffer, I try to make him suffer. Today I managed to be on top, but the next match could be a different story.» Medvedev said.
Medvedev will now turn his attention to the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami. It remains to be seen if Medvedev can also put in a strong run at the Sunshine Double and continue his winning streak.
