Swiatek accepts one-month doping suspension
World number two Iga Swiatek accepts a one-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.
World number two Iga Swiatek accepts a one-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.
To mark the end of another thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. This week, we are looking at the best rivalries of the year.
Momentum can mean a lot when it comes to a rivalry. Just ask Jannik Sinner.
The Italian continued a remarkable turnaround in his story with Daniil Medvedev in 2024, during which he triumphed in five of the pair’s six tour-level meetings. Sinner has all but banished the memory of his opening six-match losing streak against Medvedev. After his group-stage victory at the Nitto ATP Finals earlier this month, he now leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series for the first time (8-7).
As part of ATPTour.com’s annual season-in-review series, we look back at Sinner and Medvedev’s matchups in 2024.
[ATP APP] Australian Open F, Sinner d. Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
Perhaps things would have played out differently in the Sinner vs. Medvedev rivalry this year had the latter been able to maintain his red-hot start in January’s Australian Open final. Medvedev eased into a two-set lead inside Rod Laver Arena, expertly capitalising on any early nerves Sinner showed in his maiden major championship match.
Yet Medvedev’s uncharacteristically aggressive tactics, characterised by his decision to stand closer than usual to the baseline on return, could not propel the fourth seed to his second major crown. Sinner showed no sign of panic and forged a remarkable comeback, based on his trademark pinpoint serving and heavy groundstrokes, to earn a three-hour, 44-minute triumph.
“I was expecting something different from his side, so I had this feeling that he might come out a little bit more aggressive. Not this aggressive,” admitted Sinner after clinching his first Grand Slam title. “He played really, really well for the first two sets or two-and-a-half sets. I tried just to play an even level, trying to take a couple of chances in the third set, which I did. When you win one very important game, the match can change occasionally, and that was the case today.”
Miami SF, Sinner d Medvedev 6-1, 6-2
If their Melbourne clash had been a battle, Sinner and Medvedev’s semi-final meeting at March’s Miami Open presented by Itau was more akin to a procession. Sinner entered the match with a 20-1 record for the season, and the 22-year-old played like a man full of confidence to wrap a comprehensive 69-minute win. It remains the most one-sided scoreline of Sinner and Medvedev’s 15 tour-level encounters so far.
His semi-final victory in Miami, where he went on to defeat Grigor Dimitrov in the final, was Sinner’s fifth in a row against Medvedev, whom he had not defeated in six attempts prior to October 2023. Six months later and the Italian had reduced his Lexus ATP Head2Head deficit to 5-6, leaving pundits and fans alike wondering: Did Medvedev have any response?
Wimbledon QF, Medvedev d Sinner 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3
By the time of their next meeting in July at Wimbledon, the in-form Sinner had risen to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time. He won his maiden grass-court title in Halle in June and stepped onto Centre Court to face Medvedev having seen off former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini and the dangerous Ben Shelton en route to the quarter-finals.
Yet as he has so often throughout his career, Medvedev dug deep to outmanoeuvre a big-hitting elite rival. He dropped the first set in a tie-break but then went into ‘lockdown mode’ from deep behind the baseline, ultimately outlasting Sinner in a four-hour battle. Medvedev’s commitment to play front-foot tennis proved crucial, vindicating his approach after his heartbreak in Melbourne six months earlier.
“[I was thinking about Melbourne] tactically, because I felt like at the Australian Open I did a lot of good things tactically,” said Medvedev. “I didn’t manage to get it to the end, but I felt like I was playing well. I tried to do it in Miami, also. It didn’t work. I think I went a little too much… Mentally it was a good match today because I actually didn’t think about the match in Australia. Not before the fifth set, ‘Oh, my God, it’s again five sets’. No, I was there to fight, to do my best.”
<img alt=”Daniil Medvedev/Jannik Sinner” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/21/16/29/medvedev-sinner-wimbledon-2024-net.jpg” />
Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner in action at Wimbledon. Photo Credit: Francois Nel/Getty Images
US Open QF, Sinner d Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4
After his Wimbledon disappointment, Sinner did not have to wait long for the opportunity to exact his Grand Slam revenge on Medvedev. The pair clashed in the quarter-finals at the US Open, their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting at the New York major, and the World No. 1 pulled through for an ultimately comfortable four-set triumph.
The two-hour, 39-minute encounter was further evidence that Sinner was becoming increasingly comfortable with Medvedev’s somewhat metronomic game, but it was also a clear demonstration of a player primed to grind out win after win. Even in a match that contained several big momentum shifts, Sinner’s big-time ballstriking proved consistent enough to power past one of the game’s best baseline retrievers.
“It was very tough, we know each other quite well,” said Sinner, who completed the set of reaching the semi-finals at all four Grand Slam events with his quarter-final win. “We played in Australia this year and then London. We knew it was going to be very physical. It was strange the first two sets because whoever made the first break then started to roll.”
Shanghai QF, Sinner d Medvedev 6-1, 6-4
From an 0-6 start, Sinner’s equaliser in his barnstorming Lexus ATP Head2Head comeback against Medvedev was sealed with ease at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
Medvedev struggled physically at times and received treatment on his shoulder from the physio in the second set of the pair’s quarter-final clash in China. After top seed Sinner came out firing en route to the first set inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, those physical issues undermined any potential comeback bid from the 28-year-old Medvedev.
Sinner saved the only break point he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to an 85-minute triumph that drew him level with Medvedev on seven wins each. The Italian went on to defeat Novak Djokovic in the final in Shanghai, earning him his third ATP Masters 1000 crown of the season.
Nitto ATP Finals RR, Sinner d Medvedev 6-3, 6-4
Sinner rounded off his dominant year against Medvedev on home soil in November at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he extinguished his rival’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals with a calm and collected performance. Medvedev needed a straight-sets victory to give himself a chance of progressing to the last four, but Sinner capped a perfect group-stage showing in Turin by capitalising on 30 unforced errors from his opponent.
As he sat down to reflect on his 2024 season at his post-match press conference, Medvedev was asked about Sinner’s surge to an 8-7 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The 28-year-old was in no doubt that Sinner was a direct threat to his own potential for adding to his 20 tour-level titles.
“Look, he’s barely losing this year,” said Medvedev of the Italian, who went on to lift the trophy in Turin. “If you want to win a title, you will face him at one moment. It’s not easy to beat him. A lot of people try. A lot of people fail. There is mostly one guy who does it a little bit more times than the others, and it’s Carlos [Alcaraz]. He’s a very, very strong opponent.
“He’s maybe one of the best players I have faced. I faced the Big Four a little bit when they were a little bit older, and maybe [their] speed was not the same. I’m going to try to work in pre-season. Maybe at one point he loses his confidence, starts to miss some balls. Otherwise, everyone, not only me, is in for very, very tough years ahead of us because he’s very young.”
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The news that Novak Djokovic is bringing on Andy Murray as his new coach shook the tennis world on Saturday. While it may seem unprecedented for two greats of the game to team up in a player-coach relationship, this is not the first time two former No. 1s in the PIF ATP Rankings have joined forces on the same side of the net.
While Djokovic and Murray’s extended Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry — which spanned 36 matches — is unique among player-coach pairings, there are many examples of successful pairings of World No. 1s in recent history. ATPTour.com looks back at some of those partnerships.
[ATP AWARDS]Jimmy Connors & Andy Roddick (2006-08)
Roddick won the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 and reached the 2006 US Open final shortly after hiring Connors in 2006. The all-American partnership, which lasted a year and a half, saw Roddick rise as high as No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
“Jimmy hadn’t been around the Tour in 15 years,” Roddick recently said on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast. “But I knew that when I was teeing off, first round, Arthur Ashe Stadium, under the lights, US Open, he knew exactly what I was feeling when I walked out there.”
Stefan Edberg & Roger Federer (2014-15)
Federer brought his childhood idol Edberg onto his team for the 2014 season, and the pair agreed to extend what was initially a one-year arrangement for a second season in 2015. Federer won two Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 titles in that time and also claimed the 2014 Rolex Shanghai Masters crown. He also reached three major finals, two at Wimbledon and a third at the 2015 US Open.
“It was a dream come true,” Federer said at the close of his partnership with Edberg. “He taught me so much, and his influence on my game will remain. He will always be a part of my team.”
Edberg and Federer pose with Federer’s 2015 ATP Awards: the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award and the Fans’ Favourite singles award. Photo by Getty Images.
Boris Becker & Novak Djokovic (2014-16)
Becker coached Djokovic to six of his record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including his first Roland Garros crown in 2016, during a successful three-season run. After his triumph at the clay-court major, Djokovic held all four Slam titles at the same time. The Serbian also won 14 ATP Masters 1000s during his time with Becker, including three-peats at Indian Wells and Miami.
“The goals we set when we started working together have been completely fulfilled,” Djokovic said in an announcement stating that the pair had mutually decided to end their partnership. “I want to thank him for the cooperation, teamwork, dedication and commitment.”
Andre Agassi & Novak Djokovic (2017-18)
Agassi was part of Djokovic’s team for nearly a year from mid-2017, alongside Radek Stepanek. While their partnership was informal and without a contract, Djokovic benefited from the experience of a player who had also been to the very top of the game.
“He was genuinely wanting to help and to give me advice and to share his experience with me, and that speaks enough about him as a person,” the Serbian said of Agassi. “He’s someone that I always admired as a player and a person. The last eight, nine months with Andre was amazing. The amount of things that I learned, not just about tennis but about life in general… for that I’m very grateful.”
Agassi and Djokovic at Roland Garros in 2017. Photo by AFP/Getty Images.
Carlos Moya & Rafael Nadal (2017-2024)
Moya and Nadal squared off eight times on the ATP Tour from 2003-08, with Nadal claiming a 6-2 edge in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The Spaniards met when Nadal was 11 years old. Nineteen years later, when Nadal was 30, he brought on Moya as coach.
Moya helped Nadal increase the aggression in his game, and together they won eight Grand Slam titles, including five at Roland Garros. Prior to Moya’s introduction, Nadal did not advance beyond the quarter-finals at any major in 2015 and 2016.
“Now that everything is over, I have many memories of an incredible period of my life that will never be matched,” Moya recently reflected. “It’s something I’ll always carry with me. I’m grateful that he thought I could form part of his team for this adventure.”
Juan Carlos Ferrero & Carlos Alcaraz (2018-Present)
Ferrero began working with his fellow Spaniard when Alcaraz was 15 in 2018. As Alcaraz has risen to the very top of the ATP Tour, Ferrero has been with him every step of the way — from his breakthrough into the Top 500, to his ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours in 2022, to his third and fourth Grand Slam titles in 2024.
“He is tough. He is a very serious person when he has to be, when it comes to work and discipline, he is very hard on you,” Alcaraz, now 21, said of his longtime coach. “But he is also very, very funny when he has to be. He knows how to differentiate the moments very well.”
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