French Open 2022, 2nd Round, Thursday, 26.05.2022
Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – and then? This trio ranks at the top of the list of favourites for the 2022 French Open, but of course there are a few more top stars on the cards.
One of them wants to bounce back after a disappointing year so far, but only likes the red clay to a limited extent. Read in my Djere Medvedev tip why I think I can see a weakening Russian in the 2nd round!
He gave away a 2:0 lead and lost to Rafael Nadal – should this final of the Australian Open really have pulled the wool over Daniil Medvedev’s eyes? After the defeat, the Russian went in search of form and has not returned from it since.
He has only reached one semi-final, the last one in Geneva, where he lost to Richard Gasquet in two sets. It is unfortunate that he now has to get his form back on clay, because this surface is clearly his least favourite.
Four times in a row he failed in round 1 in Paris, last year he at least reached the quarter-finals. An outright defeat against Stefanos Tsitsipas showed impressively that the clay simply does not suit him.
All the more impressive was his performance at the start of the French Open 2022. Facundo Bagnis may not have been the toughest opponent, but you have to beat the Argentine 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
Medvedev allowed his opponent nine break chances, which is something you don’t really know from him. 54% of his first serves were successful, which also shows that he can’t really be in top form.
I wonder if he remembers that his first and so far only duel against Laslo Djere was lost five years ago. In Budapest, Medevdev had to retire at 0-6, 5-5, but that should not happen to him this time.
Laslo Djere has every chance of a small surprise. The 26-year-old needed a bit more time in his 1st round match, but still managed to beat Ricardas Berankis 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the end.
There’s no doubt he’s not serving badly in 2022, but he’s missing the big points in the decisive moments. Stefanos Tsitsipas has already had to go into a few tiebreaks against him, and Novak Djokovic also recently dropped a set.
When he is eliminated, it is often in three sets. It is interesting that he has never gone home after the second match in Paris. Either he packed his bags beforehand – or he reached round 3.
A year ago, he turned around a 0:2 deficit against Miomir Kecmanovic before Alexander Zverev was a number too big. The world No. 56 knows that a win on Thursday would be a big surprise.
My Djere Medvedev tip
How strong is Daniil Medvedev really? It has been known for years that the world number 2 is not the best friend of the red clay. Involuntarily, he had confirmed that in Geneva, among other places. Now, however, he came out of the starting blocks very confidently in Paris.
Laslo Djere is a good, but not a very good opponent. Since Medvedev has been a bit too inconsistent this year and has been weak on serve, I’ll send the following tip into the race:
Laslo Djere wins at least one set!
