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A strong Russian, Daniil Medvedev, finished the season with ten wins in a row and conquered the Paris Masters and ATP Finals. Daniil was looking for the most important title of his career and defeated Dominic Thiem in the last match of the ATP Finals in London with 4: 6, 7: 6, 6: 4.
He became the fifth consecutive champion and took the trophy and 1500 points. Daniil became the fourth player in the Open era to beat the top 3 players in the same event, joining Boris Becker, Novak Djokovic and David Nalbandian on the exclusive roster.
The match lasted two hours and 42 minutes and there were only two service breaks, with Medvedev scoring 115 and Thiem 112 points! The Russian seized the second set at the last moment, gained momentum and dominated the third set to outmaneuver himself and celebrate the remarkable fourth title of his career.
Daniil gained 14 points on his return in the first set and was unable to turn it into a break after two missed opportunities. On the other hand, he played a 2-2 loose service game, which cost him the first set.
Almost nothing could separate them in terms of winners and casual mistakes, with the Austrian faking the positive result in the shorter range up to four strokes. He hit a serve winner 26% of the points behind the first shot and outscored Daniil in this fastest segment by nine points to four hits.
The Russian played better in the longest, although it was not enough for more than four games. Medvedev won his serve with an ace in the first game, hitting five deuces and had two break opportunities coming back in the next game.
Thiem saved both break points with service winners and a forehand and won the game in the 10th minute with another serve that was not returned. Daniil finished the third game when Dominic made a forehand error and the Austrian made it 2-2 thanks to an ace.
The turning point came in the fifth game, when Daniil lost five points in a row on serve and after a costly double error made a break to push the opponent forward 3-2.
After two deuces in the sixth game, Dominic kept his serve after two winners to solidify the lead and move closer to win the set. Daniil won the seventh game with a service winner to cut the deficit and had two more chances to come back if he wanted to extend the set.
However, that did not happen in game eight, as Dominic maintained his service game with four strong serves to maintain the lead and take another big step into the first set.
Medvedev maintained his service game without losing a point to end the ninth game before Thiem finished the set 5-4 after 49 minutes with a lucky winner from Netzkabel. Daniil started again and hit a winning serve in the first game of the second set, followed by a similar game from Dominic, who finished the score 1-1.
The Russian made a backhand winner to secure the third game with no possibility of coming back in the next as the Austrian maintained his service game with an unreturned serve to make it 2-2.
Daniil Medvedev defeated Dominic Thiem and became the winner of the ATP Finals
Medvedev had to work hard behind the first shot in the fifth game, fending off a break opportunity with a service winner and maintaining his service game after four two with another quick point.
Thiem picked up where he left off in the previous service game and made three service winners in the sixth game to end his service game and sent the pressure to the other side of the net. The Austrian missed a great chance to break the net in the seventh game and scored another after a loose forehand from the Russian.
Daniil took him out with an ace on the T line and survived three deuces to pass another challenge and stay on the bright side. Medvedev created his first break opportunity after the opening game 4-3 with a forehand winner, who was contested by a strong forehand attack from Thiem, who scored three straight points for a major save in his service game.
The Russian left the game behind and maintained his service game with a service winner to open a gap of 5-4. In the tenth game there was no room for Thiem’s mistake. Thanks to a service winner, he was able to transfer the pressure to the other side of the net.
Daniil sealed the 11th game with an excellent combination of serve and volley, forcing Dominic to stay on set for the second time. The Austrian introduced a playoff after his service game, hoping to seal the deal with direct phrases.
Medvedev opened a 4-2 gap after an aggressive comeback and secured the set with an ace in the T-column at 6-2 to force a third set. Thiem faced three 1: 1 break opportunities, all of which he defended with bold punches and sealed the game with a service winner to maintain his massive service game and stay in touch.
Daniil kept his cool and won his service game without losing a point in game four. He received another break opportunity at 2: 2, which was rejected by a right-wing cross winner from Dominic, who defended another break opportunity with a service winner.
In the end, Daniil finally converted the ninth break opportunity since the game began, landing a volley winner who advanced 3-2. Thiem missed a slight forehand on the next and helped Medvedev cement the break and lose 4-2.
The Austrian kept his serve without losing a point in the seventh game to cut the deficit before the Russian laid down a winning volley to repeat in the eighth game and approach the finish line.
To stay in the game, Thiem kept his service game after forcing an error from Medvedev, who is now serving to take the title. Medvedev was nervous and sealed the deal with a service winner in game ten. He finished the season at a high level and expected more in 2021. Photo credit: Getty Images
