‘He will get back to No. 1 pretty rapidly,’ Tim Henman backs Daniil Medvedev to regain the top rank despite crashing out of the quarterfinals at the Miami Open
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Tim Henman, Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev missed yet another opportunity to get back the World No 1 ranking as he lost out against reigning champion Hubertz Hurkacz at the 2022 Miami Open quarterfinals. Hurkacz was simply sensational against the Russian who looked out of sorts under the Miami sun. But former British tennis player and expert Tim Henman believes Medvedev will get back to the top soon.
It was an intense fight as Hurkacz defeated Medvedev 7-6(7), 6-3 in a match that last for two hours and two minutes. Medvedev despite struggling with the heat, fought well in the first set. But once Hurkacz got the better of him in the first set, he looked out of gas as the Pole dominated the second half to progress through to the semifinals of the Miami Open.
Medvedev had a golden opportunity to nudge back the World No.1 ranking from Novak Djokovic had he progressed through to the semifinals by beating Hurkacz. However former British tennis player and expert Tim Henman feel that the Russian will soon get his chance again to surpass Djokovic in the world rankings.
Tim Henman believes that Daniil Medvedev will regain the World No. 1 rank very soon
Henman shared how Medvedev’s experience of being at the summit of the rankings will tell him to be patient, given that he understands the dynamics. He believes Medvedev will be very keen to show his game to the world on clay and get back to where he thinks he belongs.
“In the context of that conversation, if Medvedev hadn’t already been No.1, then it is a big issue, but the fact he’s already been there – and yes, he’d rather be one than two – means I don’t think it’s such a big issue for Medvedev,” said Henman on Amazon Prime.
“If you look at the ranking points coming up, because he played so poorly on clay last year, I think he will get back to one pretty rapidly, especially if Djokovic is only playing a curtailed schedule,” the Brit added.
Medvedev and Novak Djokovic will probably be in action next at the Monte Carlo Masters as the clay season is all set to begin this year. This is an area where Medvedev needs to improve and show the world that he can do exceptionally well on clay courts as well.
Daniil Medvedev struggled as he complained of the heat and humidity and simply could not adapt to the conditions against Hurkacz. He even called for the physio after the first set. The Russian was on his knees in the end as he received some help from his physio to ease out the pain caused due to stomach cramps.
“It’s very hot and humid out here. The nature of the match meant it was Medvedev having to work harder on his serve and from the back of the court,” said Henman. “After just over two hours he was certainly feeling the pain out there.
“All credit to Hurkacz for playing so well and making Medvedev work, that’s one of the reasons he came out on top,” Henman concluded.
Also Read: Novak Djokovic set to remain World No.1 as Daniil Medvedev crashes out in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open
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Atrayo Bhattacharya
(193 Articles Published)