Daniil Medvedev ADVOCATES bigger draws in tennis claiming it benefits people like Jan Lennard Struff
Daniil Medvedev is positive that the new format of play at the Italian Open will introduce fresh talent in the competition.
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Daniil Medvedev( Credits: The Globe and Mail)
Daniil Medvedev is all praise for introduction of ‘new format’ at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The Russian stated that it will bring more competition and will provide opportunities to low-ranking players.
The Italian Open is set to upgrade the WTA 1000 and ATP 1000 format. The matches will take place for two weeks and the draw bracket will be set at 96. The upgradation will be adding new competitors to the tour and lower ranking players will stand a chance to deliver their best tennis.
The World No.3 is one of the supporters of the novelty. He cited the example of lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff who benefitted from the bigger draw at Madrid.
“Personally I like it, it gives more opportunities for the players since the draw is bigger. Let’s take the case of Struff, I don’t know what his ranking was when entries closed, but maybe with the old format he wouldn’t even have entered the qualifiers. Probably he would not have entered the draw as a lucky loser, as happened, he would not have played in the first final of a Masters 1000, he would not have reached the best ranking”, he said at the press conference in Italy.
The US Open champion also added that the top players will have a disadvantage with fresh competitors in the tour.
“Under the old format, the top eight seeds had a first-round bye and with two wins they were in the quarterfinals. Then you could always benefit from a walkover. The fewer games you have to play, the more likely you are to win the tournament. The new format is less beneficial to the top eight or top sixteen, but is more beneficial to the world’s top 200. I think it’s good for tennis”, Medvedev added.
Medvedev recently claimed the Miami Open title after his fantastic win over Janiik Sinner. He also reached the finals of the Indian Wells Masters but lost in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz.
Also read: Tennis journalist puts a ‘huge’ question mark on Carlos Alcaraz’s wins in Novak Djokovic’s absence
Daniil Medvedev will be competing at the Italian Open
Daniil Medvedev missed the tournament last year due to his hernia surgery. After his early exit in Madrid, the World No.3 will be entering Rome with a score of 33 wins out of 38 matches played in the season. The Russians always had a tough time while playing on the clay. He states that he is not a ‘clay specialist’ but certainly working to improve his game after his tough loss in Madrid.
“I’m trying to play with more spin and figure out how to slide better. For me, it has always been a problem. In Madrid, after being eliminated, I stayed two days to train focusing on moves and slides. I feel I have improved. I’ve always said that the problem on earth is that I don’t have enough time”, he said during the press conference. The Miami Open champion also said how smaller courts affect his performance as he needs more space near the lines. However, he believes the problem concerns him more than other players.
“I understand that 94 or 92 of the 96 players on the draw don’t care about the question, if the field is smaller they will respond more closely“, he further added. This season, Medvedev has claimed four ATP Tours titles in Rotterdam, Dubai Tennis Championships, Oatar Open, and Miami Open.
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Vitasta Singh
(691 Articles Published)