Tennis world reacts to 'insane' 50-year first at ATP Finals
The tennis world has heaped praise on Russian Daniil Medvedev after he claimed the biggest title of his career as he fought back from a set down to defeat Dominic Thiem in an absorbing climax to the ATP Finals.
Thiem, having won the his first Grand Slam title at the US Open earlier this year, was looking to cap off the best year of his career having already defeated Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic on his way to the final.
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But Medvedev had also defeated Djokovic and Nadal in the tournament and the 24-year-old Russian showed nerves of steel to turn the tide in superb fashion to prevail 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.
Medvedev went into the final having not lost a match all week while his win over World No.3 Thiem means he became the first player in the 50-year history of the tournament to beat the world's three leading players at the same event.
He also became the first player to defeat the world’s top three leading players at any tournament since 2007.
Thiem, who lost last year's ATP final to Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, clinched the first set by a single break after he survived two early break points from Medvedev's determined rallying.
Medvedev fought back from 2-0 behind in the second set tie-break to level the scoreboard and collected a decisive break in the third en route to the trophy.
"What a match. One of my best victories," Medvedev said.
"Against an amazing player, Dominic. Congrats already for what you achieved in your career. Your name is already in the history of tennis.
"You won a grand slam this year, you're playing unbelievable.
"I hope we're going to have many more matches to come on the big occasions like this."
Fans praised the Russian for the incredible feat to cap off a tough year in the tennis world.
Daniil Medvedev is the first player in the history of tennis to beat the world #1 (Djokovic) #2 (Nadal) and #3 (Thiem) to win the Nitto Atp Finals.
— enrico maria riva (@enricomariariva) November 22, 2020
Daniil Medvedev wins the biggest title of his career at 24yo, beating Dominic Thiem 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 to win the 2020 ATP Finals.
Great match! pic.twitter.com/6NPECwjC2W— José Morgado (@josemorgado) November 22, 2020
Daniil Medvedev:
- Has won seven matches in a row, all against Top 10 players.
- Is the first player to beat the World No.1 (Djokovic), No.2 (Nadal) and No.3 (Thiem) in the same ATP Finals.
- Is the second man in history to win the ATP Finals a year after a winless debut.— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) November 22, 2020
Daniil Medvedev finishes off what has been a fraught year for men's tennis with a win in the London ATP Finals, beating Dominic Thiem 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4.
When and where tennis resumes in 2021 is unclear.— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) November 22, 2020
Incredible week from Medvedev. One of the most impressive title runs I've seen here in London for some time. Beats top 3 players in a row for the trophy. Adaptation remains his biggest asset, changing up losing patterns with unconventional but brutally effective tennis.
— Matthew Willis (@MattRacquet) November 22, 2020
Medvedev is definitely : The Cat.
Whatever the situation, he always finds a way to fall back on his legs.— Patrick Mouratoglou (@pmouratoglou) November 22, 2020
London farewells ATP Finals tournament
The final was a farewell to the tournament for London's O2 Arena which has hosted it for 12 years - the first edition in 2009 was won by Russian Nikolay Davydenko.
Next year's season-ending tournament that features the world's best eight players will be held in Turin, Italy.
In the ATP Finals doubles, Dutch-Croatian duo Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic claimed their first title together by edging Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-2, 3-6, 10-5.
The fifth-seeded Koolhof and Mektic, in their maiden season together, had lost in their other two finals, including at the US Open, but it proved a case of third time lucky.
with AAP
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