We take a look at the Andre Agassi Group from the ATP Tour’s ATP Finals taking place at O2 Arena, London, England.
ATP Tour 2019 | ATP Finals
Andre Agassi Group | O2 Arena, London, England
Wednesday 13 November 2019
Rafael Nadal 11/10
vs Danil Medvedev 13/20
Rafael Nadal was absolutely blown out of the water by Alex Zverev in the opening match. He seemed slightly jaded, perhaps feeling some aftershocks from the injury that saw him withdraw from Paris. I can feel some of Nadal’s frustration with an end-of-year showcase that always caters to indoor hardcourts. It is almost certainly the surface that Nadal struggles on the most. In fact, he is yet to win an ATP Finals title. He has reached the final in London in 2010 and 2013. Nadal has had an incredible year, winning Grand Slam titles in Paris and New York. His win in Canada and subsequent US Open title was perhaps his most dominant North American hardcourt showing in some time. But in Danil Medvedev he meets a canny foe who has taken the world by storm this year.
Russian Danil Medvedev has risen from the hoard of ‘Next Gen’ hopefuls to usurp the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex Zverev. Few could have envisaged the brilliance of Danil Medvedev this year. He started the year well enough, reaching the 4th round in Melbourne prior to a semi-final run in Rotterdam and victory at the Sofia Open. He then had a surprisingly solid clay-court campaign, reaching the final in Barcelona and semi-final in Monte Carlo. But little could have prepared us for the absolute onslaught that awaited during the North-American hardcourt season. Medvedev lost in consecutive finals in Washington and Canada. He then gave a dominant display to claim his maiden Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. He then had a herculean run to the final of the US Open, pushing a red-hot Rafa Nadal in a pulsating five-set encounter. He lost in straight sets to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening match. It was a surprising result in something of a grudge match after recent comments. Medvedev will be looking to avenge that spellbinding New York Final.
This will be their third meeting this year. Nadal leads the head-to-head 2-0 thus far, but that final in New York was difficult to reduce to a mere statistic. I think that Medvedev has the game to dominate Nadal on this surface. He could prove critical in ensuring Djokovic’s World Number One status.
Alex Zverev 8/10
vs Stefanos Tsitsipas 9/10
With both players picking up brilliant opening match victories, this is set up to be a fabulous encounter at the O2 Arena. This has been a frustrating year for both players, who have perhaps not quite delivered on their pre-season billing. Danil Medvedev ultimately emerged as the biggest challenger to the status quo from the young guns. Zverev blew Nadal off the court the other night and looks primed for his ATP Finals defence. It has been a curious season for Zverev, who has once again disappointed on the Grand Slam stage. But as opposed to last season he hasn’t managed to pick up a plethora of regular season events. The only title he won was a sub-standard Geneva Open title. Zverev seems to have found something in this latter part of the season, reaching the final in Shanghai. The German will look for this event to put a Band-Aid on a fairly disappointing year.
Greek superstar Stefanos Tsitsipas was brilliant in dispatching the red-hot Danil Medvedev in his opening match. The Greek has certainly had a more fully rounded season than his German counterpart. He won titles in Dubai and Estoril but has a litany of impressive finishes to augment that. He had a major breakthrough with a semi-final run at the Australian Open. But he has shown admirable all-court prowess with a host of decent finishes this year. Finals in Dubai, Madrid and China reflect the consistency of the young Greek. In beating Medvedev he actually broke a 5-0 losing streak to the dynamic Russian. Tsitsipas has been roundly tipped as a future World Number One. Victory in this season-ending event could be just the catalyst necessary for him to make the next step forward.
Tsitsipas actually leads the head-to-head 3-1, claiming their last three matches. He beat Zverev this year in Madrid and recently on the Beijing hardcourts. However, Zverev’s resounding victory over Nadal and his defending champion status must make him a compelling selection here.
