ATP Tournament in Mallorca, Round of 16, Wednesday, 22.06.2022
What’s up with Daniil Medvedev, is he in good shape or not after all? The number 1 is currently giving tennis fans a lot of puzzles, he can’t really explain his fluctuations himself.
Now the defending champion of Mallorca wants to put the recent disappointments behind him. In my Medvedev Karatsev tip, I reveal why I would bet on a strong world number one despite his wobbles!
How happy was Daniil Medvedev when the French Open was over after the last 16? Everyone knows: The Russian and the red clay, that will no longer be an intimate friendship in this lifetime.
The season on grass will be a different one for Medvedev this year, because he was excluded from Wimbledon. But he courageously announced that he would approach the other tournaments on grass with top motivation.
In Hertogenbosch, he played – or rather struggled – his way into the final, where he lost 4-6, 1-6 to Tim van Rijthoven. Not even that surprising, because he had to play to his limits in the matches before.
The tournament in Halle was very similar. First, Medvedev made a strong impression, beating David Goffin, Ilya Ivashka and Roberto Bautista Agut smoothly and without any problems. In the semi-finals, it came to a duel with Oscar Otte.
The German made life difficult for the world number 1, but in the end two breaks were enough to secure a 7-6, 6-3. Nevertheless, the fans noticed that not everything went according to plan in the final.
The first set was lost 1-6 to Hubert Hurkacz, and in the end the scoreboard showed 1-6, 4-6. Only 58% won points on the first serve and not a single break chance, Hurkacz was simply too strong.
Or was it more to do with Medvedev, who was simply too weak? Two heavy slaps in finals within a few days is something the 26-year-old is not used to. He wants to take revenge on Mallorca, not for nothing did he win the title here in 2021.
He shares his compatriot’s fate of not being allowed to take part in Wimbledon. Unlike Medvedev, he has already made his first appearance under the Mallorcan sun, making a great comeback against Jaume Munar 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.
It was an unusual feeling, because Karatsev has hardly known how to win in recent weeks. Since mid-January, he has not managed to get through two rounds at a tournament.
It gets worse for the 28-year-old, because since the Australian Open he has only collected four wins! So it makes perfect sense that the bookies have little confidence in him on Wednesday.
If there is one thing that gives his fans some hope, it might be the head-to-head comparison. In 2014 and 2016, Karatsev won two duels in qualifiers, then last year also the first encounter in the main draw.
In Rome, the current underdog clearly prevailed, but it should be noted that the encounter took place on clay, the very surface that Medvedev does not like at all.
My Medvedev Karatsev Tip
It’s a bit of a mystery that Daniil Medvedev is giving us at the moment. The world number 1 reached the final twice but was literally taken apart here.
With Aslan Karatsev, he now has to play a rival who has collected a measly four wins since the Australian Open and is completely out of form. That’s why I’m counting on a good performance from Medvedev and betting on him:
Win Medvedev & Under 22.5 Games
