Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev will face each other in the semi-final of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday, March 3.
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Novak Djokovic, who was playing in the ATP Dubai tournament which was his first since the Australian Open in January 2023, got off to a typically slow start and gained much-needed match fitness that would help him throughout the rest of the week. After defeating Tomas Machac in three sets in the first round, he gained confidence and went on to dominate somewhat more difficult opponents, Tallon Griekspoor of the 2023 ATP Pune champion and Hubert Hurkacz of the 2023 ATP Marseille champion, respectively, by scores of 6-2, 6-3, and 6-3, 7-5. It is not impossible for the Serbian to pull off a few amazing feats that he missed out on in recent years, given his intense focus in the early stages of 2023 and the current standing of his main rivals.
At the Australian Open last month, he captured the first grand slam of the year. Over the past three months, he has gone unbeaten in 15 games. He is currently in an unstoppable form, but there are other factors as well. Since July 2022, when he first started getting regular opportunities to play on the main tour, he has only lost one of his 41 matches.
When he makes his opponents feel as though they are up against an impenetrable wall, Daniil Medvedev is unstoppable, and it looks like he is slowly rebuilding the wall that was destroyed in January 2022. It took him more than ten months to regain his confidence and faith in his abilities after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Rafael Nadal in Melbourne last year. Borna Coric, who faced him in the quarterfinals, put forth a respectable effort but was unable to get past the Russian’s defence. The 27-year-old won convincingly in straight sets, improving his record against the Croatian No. 1 to 3-4.
The former world number one hasn’t given up more than four games in a set so far this week in Dubai, and on his best days, he’s won 31 of the 35 sets he’s played. However, his performances in the two losses he suffered this year to Novak Djokovic and Sebastian Korda raised questions because he seemed to be at a loss for words and was unable to mount a convincing defence in either match.
| Novak Djokovic vs Daniil Medvedev | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | March 3, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard |
| Tournament | Dubai Tennis Championships |
| Stage | Semi-final |
| Time (India) | 8:30 pm |
| Time (Dubai) | 7 pm |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Hubert Hurkacz | 6-3, 7-5 (W) |
| Tallon Griekspoor | 6-2, 6-3 (W) |
| Tomas Machac | 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 (W) |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 (W) |
| Tommy Paul | 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 (W) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Borna Coric | 6-3, 6-2 (W) |
| Alexander Bublik | 6-4, 6-2 (W) |
| Matteo Arnaldi | 6-4, 6-2 (W) |
| Andy Murray | 6-4, 6-4 (W) |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | 6-4, 7-6 (W) |
Read More – ATP Dubai Tennis Championships 2023: Preview, Where to watch, Schedule, Dates, Seeds, Prize Money, Live Streaming details
9-4 in favour of Novak Djokovic. Daniil Medvedev has recently been Novak Djokovic’s most difficult opponent on hard courts, and he would be disappointed for not being able to live up to that reputation in their most recent match, which they lost 3-6, 4-6. As Daniil Medvedev has made significant progress and gained confidence since January and seems well-prepared for this challenge against the current world number one, their upcoming match is predicted to be a closely contested contest.
Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev will face each other in the semi-final of the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday, March 3.
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