Daniil Medvedev has become only the third player in the past decade to win a third ATP title within as many weeks after cruising to victory at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The former world No.1 continued the impressive form he display against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals by disposing of 2022 champion Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-2, in the title match. Medvedev maintained the upper hand through the final by producing a mixture of carefully crafted angle shots and impressive defensive skills. In the all-Russian clash, he produced 27 winners without facing a single break point.
“It was very tactical. I know that Andrey can cause a lot of trouble for everybody on the Tour. Every time we play he tries to make me suffer and I try to make him suffer,” Medvedev said during his on-court interview.
“Today I managed to come out on top but the next match could be a different story.”
Medvedev’s latest victory saw him break a highly animated Rublev twice in each set. The victory is a case of sweet revenge for the 27-year-old who had lost his two previous meetings against the world No.6 on the Tour. Although he leads their head-to-head 5-2.
As a result of his latest victory, Medvedev has now won 14 matches in a row which is the second-longest winning streak of his career. His personal best currently stands at 20 straight wins between 2020 and 2021. Prior to Dubai, Medvedev won back-to-back titles in Rotterdam and Doha. To put his winning streak into context, since 2012 only Casper Ruud (2021) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (2022) have won three ATP trophies three weeks in a row.
“It’s amazing because the start of the year was not perfect. In tennis when you are not winning tournaments you are always doubting (yourself) no matter what happens in practice. So I was doubting a lot and now it feels better,” said Medvedev.
“I am really happy with these three weeks and looking forward to the next ones.”
So far in 2023, Medvedev has won 19 Tour matches which are more than any other ATP player.