Spoiler:
Picking up exactly where I left off… That’s what both Daniil Medvedev and Jan-Lennard Struff must have had in mind ahead of their first round joust at Wimbledon 2021. It’s just that they didn’t mean it in quite the same way.
World No.45 Struff would have been intent on a repeat of his shock win over the Russian on the grass of Halle a couple of weeks ago; meanwhile, Medvedev would be thinking a continuation of the form that took him to the title on the Mallorca greensward last Saturday would be just the job.
In the event Medvedev breezed through the first two sets before Struff began to cause damage, but the No.2 seed came through 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(3).
“I was a bit surprised that I managed to win the first two sets so easy,” grinned Medvedev. “That’s why Grand Slams are funny. I thought ‘I got it, just stay focused’ and he started showing some unbelievable tennis and the match turned around. There were so many opportunities for both of us. It wasn’t over until the last point. It was a rollercoaster match.
NO.1 COURT
GENTLEMEN'S SINGLESFIRST ROUND
GER
J. STRUFF
41663
PTS12345
RUS
D. MEDVEDEV
2
66477
DURATION: 2:31COMPLETED
TOUGH FOR STRUFF
“I’m really happy that I managed to revenge Halle on this one. I want all matches to be like these first two sets, but on grass you need to be ready. Before he broke me in the third set he didn’t really have opportunities, and then suddenly the match was absolutely different. Better that it’s like the first two sets, but it’s never going to be always that easy.”
Medvedev has a shot at the No.1 spot here, either by winning the title or reaching the final when Novak Djokovic does not. Should he manage it, he would be the first player outside the Big Four (Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray) to reach the summit since Andy Roddick in November 2003.
These are big ambitions for a player who has not yet been beyond the third round in SW19. But for the first two sets, the idea was not at all fanciful. The No.2 seed sprinted out of the blocks with the coolest of breaks in the very first game.
Standing as far behind the baseline as was possible without actually exiting No.1 Court altogether, Medvedev returned beautifully. With an ease of movement that belied his 6ft 6in, in the first set he captured 100% of points on his first serve.
MATCH STATISTICS
JS DM
9 ACES 16
4 DOUBLE FAULTS 2
87/141 (62%) 1ST SERVE IN 63/116 (54%)
1/5 (20%) BREAK POINTS WON 4/9 (44%)
43 WINNERS 51
39 UNFORCED ERRORS 24
118 TOTAL POINTS WON 139
The start of the second saw more of the same. Once again Medvedev broke from the off, having narrowly missed umpire Renaud Lichtenstein with one of his wilder forehand returns.
Running Struff ragged, the Russian simply toyed with his opponent for the double break, first with a millimetre-perfect lob and then punishing Struff’s heroic retrieval with the softest pat of the ball over the net. Time and again he foiled him with drop shots, cantering away to 6-1. Medvedev was cruising.
In the third set it’s fair to say that not every spectator on No.1 Court was giving their undivided attention to the action on court. It was not difficult to work out when England’s footballers scored each of their goals in their Euros quarter-final victory over Germany; and some spectators decided it would be just the thing to make sure Struff knew his nation was out of the tournament.
He gave no sign of hearing them, yet instantly broke Medvedev to love for 4-3. The hecklers were abruptly silenced – like Medvedev, they could devise no reply as the set played out.
With Struff in the match now, the touches which had poured so easily from the Russian’s racket in the opening two sets were harder to find.
But come the tie-break he at last edged ahead to hold three match points before sealing it with a lob, as if there had never been the slightest problem. For now at least, the Wimbledon title and the No.1 spot are still on Medvedev’s radar.
World No.45 Struff would have been intent on a repeat of his shock win over the Russian on the grass of Halle a couple of weeks ago; meanwhile, Medvedev would be thinking a continuation of the form that took him to the title on the Mallorca greensward last Saturday would be just the job.
In the event Medvedev breezed through the first two sets before Struff began to cause damage, but the No.2 seed came through 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(3).
“I was a bit surprised that I managed to win the first two sets so easy,” grinned Medvedev. “That’s why Grand Slams are funny. I thought ‘I got it, just stay focused’ and he started showing some unbelievable tennis and the match turned around. There were so many opportunities for both of us. It wasn’t over until the last point. It was a rollercoaster match.
NO.1 COURT
GENTLEMEN'S SINGLESFIRST ROUND
GER
J. STRUFF
41663
PTS12345
RUS
D. MEDVEDEV
2
66477
DURATION: 2:31COMPLETED
TOUGH FOR STRUFF
“I’m really happy that I managed to revenge Halle on this one. I want all matches to be like these first two sets, but on grass you need to be ready. Before he broke me in the third set he didn’t really have opportunities, and then suddenly the match was absolutely different. Better that it’s like the first two sets, but it’s never going to be always that easy.”
Medvedev has a shot at the No.1 spot here, either by winning the title or reaching the final when Novak Djokovic does not. Should he manage it, he would be the first player outside the Big Four (Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray) to reach the summit since Andy Roddick in November 2003.
These are big ambitions for a player who has not yet been beyond the third round in SW19. But for the first two sets, the idea was not at all fanciful. The No.2 seed sprinted out of the blocks with the coolest of breaks in the very first game.
Standing as far behind the baseline as was possible without actually exiting No.1 Court altogether, Medvedev returned beautifully. With an ease of movement that belied his 6ft 6in, in the first set he captured 100% of points on his first serve.
MATCH STATISTICS
JS DM
9 ACES 16
4 DOUBLE FAULTS 2
87/141 (62%) 1ST SERVE IN 63/116 (54%)
1/5 (20%) BREAK POINTS WON 4/9 (44%)
43 WINNERS 51
39 UNFORCED ERRORS 24
118 TOTAL POINTS WON 139
The start of the second saw more of the same. Once again Medvedev broke from the off, having narrowly missed umpire Renaud Lichtenstein with one of his wilder forehand returns.
Running Struff ragged, the Russian simply toyed with his opponent for the double break, first with a millimetre-perfect lob and then punishing Struff’s heroic retrieval with the softest pat of the ball over the net. Time and again he foiled him with drop shots, cantering away to 6-1. Medvedev was cruising.
In the third set it’s fair to say that not every spectator on No.1 Court was giving their undivided attention to the action on court. It was not difficult to work out when England’s footballers scored each of their goals in their Euros quarter-final victory over Germany; and some spectators decided it would be just the thing to make sure Struff knew his nation was out of the tournament.
He gave no sign of hearing them, yet instantly broke Medvedev to love for 4-3. The hecklers were abruptly silenced – like Medvedev, they could devise no reply as the set played out.
With Struff in the match now, the touches which had poured so easily from the Russian’s racket in the opening two sets were harder to find.
But come the tie-break he at last edged ahead to hold three match points before sealing it with a lob, as if there had never been the slightest problem. For now at least, the Wimbledon title and the No.1 spot are still on Medvedev’s radar.
6-7(3) 3-6 6-3 6-3 6-2