Russia's Daniil Medvedev delivered a powerful performance against Australia's Alex De Minaur at the ATP Finals on Tuesday, potentially postponing his holiday plans. The Russian, ranked fourth in the world, had expressed his readiness to leave after a loss to American Taylor Fritz in his opening match on Sunday. However, Medvedev, the 2020 champion, showcased a masterful serving game to defeat De Minaur 6-2, 6-4.
De Minaur's debut at the ATP Finals now seems unlikely to advance to the semi-finals, while Medvedev carries hope into his final group match against top seed Jannik Sinner. Medvedev's focus and tennis on Tuesday sharply contrasted his previous match, where he appeared disengaged and even received a penalty point for damaging a courtside microphone.
This time, Medvedev was entirely concentrated, committing only 10 unforced errors and conceding just nine points on his serve. His victory extended his head-to-head record against De Minaur to 7-3. Medvedev acknowledged in a post-match interview that he felt mentally exhausted in his previous match, leading to frustration when things didn't go his way. He approached this match with a clear mindset: a loss would mean an early departure, but a win would keep his hopes alive.
Medvedev stated, "I just wanted to hit some shots and it worked well."
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