Daniil Medvedev revealed he wasn’t feeling very well at the start of his Rotterdam campaign but then “something clicked” against Felix Auger-Aliassime and he ended up winning the title. Medvedev, who was the sixth-seeded player, nearly suffered a shock defeat in his tournament opener as he had to come back from a set down to beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round.
After beating Davidovich Fokina and Botic van de Zandschulp, Medvedev defeated defending Rotterdam champion Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets in the quarterfinal. From that moment, Medvedev started to feel much better as he also defeated Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinal and Jannik Sinner in the final, respectively.
“I was feeling terrible in practice, as well as in the first set of the tournament. Then something clicked, against Felix I was in a completely different mood. I practiced hard and I knew this moment was going to come, that’s how it has always been in my career,” Medvedev said, per Mario Boccardi.
Daniil Medvedev: “I was feeling terrible in pratice, as well as in the first set of the tournament. Then something clicked, against Felix I was in a completely different mood. I practiced hard and I knew this moment was going to come, that’s how it has always been in my career.” pic.twitter.com/bYdumvIJ4U — Mario Boccardi (@marioboc17) February 20, 2023
Medvedev recovered from a set down to beat Sinner
In the Rotterdam final, Medvedev lost a tight first set to Sinner but then stormed back to win 5-7 6-2 6-2.
After losing a tight first set, Medvedev broke Sinner twice in the second set to force a decider. In the third set, Medvedev again broke Sinner twice to complete his big comeback win. “He was controlling the pace and I was good to make the 1st set close so I had more time to figure out what to do better.
I was, ‘I need to change something, the way it’s going I’m not able to win’ Then I’ve been more aggressive and I’ve been better physically,” Medvedev said.
Daniil Medvedev: “He was controlling the pace and I was good to make the 1st set close so I had more time to figure out what to do better.
I was, ‘I need to change something, the way it’s going I’m not able to win’ Then I’ve been more aggressive and I’ve been better physically.” pic.twitter.com/HBYFkVFaHz — Mario Boccardi (@marioboc17) February 20, 2023
Medvedev, who suffered a disappointing third-round defeat at the Australian Open, was playing his first tournament since the opening Grand Slam of the season.
Also, it was Medvedev’s first title in 2023. This week, Medvedev is competing in Doha, where he is the third-seeded player and has a first-round bye.
