ATP Finals

[don_budge]

Nitto ATP Finals...ATP ???...London, England

Daniil Medvedev it is. The champion of the tour championships closing out the season for 2020. A strange year for sure. An even stranger tournament in some ways. But nevertheless it's in the books. A historic final as it is. Not necessarily the best played but not all that bad all things considered. Somehow it managed to keep my attention throughout from beginning to end with a few breaks in the middle. But so interesting...Dominic Thiem versus Daniil Medvedev. "Mr. Pencil" prevails. Tell me that the guy doesn't look like a pencil. Never mind...I don't need a second opinion.

He is a very, very interesting players. I can't quite label him one of the cookie cutter generation. He's got some quirks...a bit like Florian Mayer in that respect. As stroke astutely observed. Quirky Mr. Pencil. Take the forehand for instance. It isn't the classic looking stroke of Roger Federer. He doesn't appear to belt the ball as Dominic Thiem tried to hit the cover off the ball all match long...until Daniil decided that he shouldn't. This is the beauty of the Medvedev forehand. One might say that it isn't as powerful as Thiem's forehand but that would be one hasty judgement. After all...what is power? Here we go again...I can hear the eyes rolling. But it's true...power is control and control is various parts spin, placement and speed. Daniil chooses to play a flatter ball on the forehand and it doesn't appear that he hits as hard as some of the opponents but that is because he is getting more bang for the effort. His flat ball gets through the surface a bit quicker and it wouldn't surprise me to hear from his opponents that it is surprisingly heavy. HIs emphasis on placement is a bit more pronounced that Thiem's as well. Medvedev has some pretty fancy angles that takes his opponent out of position and the stroke is ultra reliable. He rarely misses.

The backhand is the strength in some respects. His defence is very sound and on the level of a Novak Djokovic backhand. Even when he is pulled way out of position he has the ability to throw in a neutraliser or a nothing burger that doesn't give the opponent much to swing at. As on the forehand side he is very, very secure and rarely makes an unforced error of this wing as goes the forehand. He hits a fair amount of spin but he seems to rely more on placement than on speed or spin. It's common thread in his game. He has built his game around the percentages. He is playing percentage tennis.

The serve is much the same...he consistently matched Thiem in the mph department with much less spin. Go figure. Which is more effective. It looked to me as if the Medvedev was more effective particularly when it came down to crunch time. Towards the end he was really forcing Thiem to play to his tempo as he was almost "quick-serving" Thiem into the locker room. Compare that tempo with the other two nitwits that have dominated the finals of all majors for the last years. Federer withstanding. This guy gets the ball from the kid and suddenly he is into his windup. The windup is no slo-mo job either. Suddenly the ball is right on top of you or even past you. He's deceptive...just as he is off of both ground stroke wings. It's tough to get into any kind of rhythm as he doesn't give you any.

I'm not done and this is the interesting part to Daniil "Mr. Pencil" Medvedev. He's a deep guy. He's a deep player. It isn't just strong gripped forehand, two handed backhand and a blast for a serve. Nope...he already blew that up in my first four paragraphs. What about that forehand volley? So many times he got the forehand volley off of his approach against Thiem. I think he went to the net at least 30% more than Dominic. But when he got that ball on the forehand he as all business. That is as good of a forehand volley that you are going to see on the tour, at least in the singles department. Time and time again he made the right choice on the volley whether he was drive volleying deep into the backhand corner or angling to the service box corner or even the more acute angle. Beautiful classic technique. The backhand was a totally different concept and at times it looks a bit homemade...but guess what? Very, very effective. Again...he is always playing the percentages.

Which leaves the best for last. See how I did that. The slice backhand! What in the hell was that??? That is one wild interpretation of a backhand slice and that shot will certainly not find it's way in the John Yandell backhand slice lesson. He was hitting a shot that he was completely coming from the outside of the ball and making a nasty swipe all the way across his body towards the opposite side of the court. Most unusual. You might see this kind of play as a gimmick from time to time. Some kind of hybrid backhand. But again...very, very effective and did exactly what it was designed to do. To neutralise the pulverising Thiem. Much of the more unusual shots came toward the end of the match as he was closing Thiem out. I noticed that he was using a bit more overspin on the forehand...which certainly did not have the elegance of a Federer or the bullish nature of a Nadal but guess what? It was very, very effective.

Do you notice a common thread through this analysis? It is very, very effective. The Daniil Medvedev game is very creative for a modern player. It doesn't seem to match up like the rest of them do. It makes him very difficult to read. Even emotionally this guy is very tough to read. Jeepers...he was down a set to both Nadal and Thiem and beat them both going away. Against Thiem it was almost as if he was racing to the locker room. He routined both Zverev, Schwartzman and Djokovic in earlier rounds. Very unusual tempo. Kept his opponent off balance while maintaining pressure on them. Who does that sound like? Uh oh...it is none other than Bill Tilden.

[stroke]

Well done by Medvedev. He is a tough out, no doubt. As I said before, he is probably going to become the uneasiest on the eye #1 ever. And Thiem, I love his game and his attitude, but in my book, he has too much swinging out of his shoes head movement on his forehand. Like BG, I much prefer the ATP model type 3 forehand and the accompanying independent arm action.

[stotty]

Medvedev squeezed through against the run of play at times. Not a pretty match in my view but then sometimes matches aren't.

[stotty]

Yes it's a vastly improved shot of Thiem's and a great weapon against Medvedev.

[stroke]

I was wrong in a way earlier post about no players in this field having a particularly good slice backhand. Thiem certainly does. Shotspot stats just showed the average rpm's on the slices in this match and Thiem's is top shelf. The commentators also noted how Thiem is really knifeing them.

[stotty]

Solid first set from Thiem. Poor set from Medvedev. He needs to improve his first serve percentage and get his forehand going...forehand return has been awful so far. He needs to find better form and quick.

[stroke]

Paper thin margains on a very good set by both players. Thiem wins it with one break.

[stotty]

If I had to bet, I would go with Thiem. I think the premium is being paid for the Medvedev bet.

I would be surprised if Medvedev doesn't win. He's been the best player in the tournament so far. Time will tell...Medvedev wins the first game...

[stroke]

If I had to bet, I would go with Thiem. I think the premium is being paid for the Medvedev bet.

[don_budge]

Excellent doubles final.

[don_budge]

Oddmakers have Medvedev as the favorite with about a 58% chance of winning. That is not surprising as Medvedev was favored vs Nadal. Medvedev is getting a lot of respect from the oddsmakers.

Another match I opted out of early. Medvedev was down a set and up a break in the second. Nadal broke back and the prospect of watching this imbecile prevail sent me diving for the comfy pillow and a good night's sleep. That was a good decision anyways. I like this guy...Mr. Pencil. He and Dominic should have a fun time duking it out today. Thiem beat him at the U. S. Open on route to his maiden Slam and Medvedev beat him in straight sets the time before. Advantage who?

It's a toss up. Both are locked and loaded after eliminating the fading dreams of great players past. Thiem cold cocked Djokovic and should have taken him out in straight sets. But he dragged it out and this might actually play into his favour with the additional pressure of the third set. Same with Medvedev...the three set come from behind will do nothing but install confidence and belief. The quality of play in this final might not be as high if the other two had made it through due to the unusual event of playing someone other than one of the "Big Three or Four" in the final of a major event. However they are going to have to get used to it quickly as they are quickly assuming respective positioning of members of elite status. It is fitting that it these two have navigated the field to the finals. Tsitsipas and Zverev lagging behind a bit but closing.

A breath of fresh air. No bouncey...bouncey...bouncey during the endless service games. Just put the damn ball in play. Nice job guys. Let's see what they can conjure up for entertainment and quality of play.

I like those odds stroke. That is about what it feels like to me based upon the fact that given both players are about even in terms of ability it comes down to a matter of motivation and who wants it more. Basically it feels like Dominic Thiem has the bigger target on his back so Daniil has more to shoot for. Thiem has won his first Slam and there now becomes a time when he is the prized trophy. When a player beats him now they can say to themselves that they are Grand Slam Champion material. Although his Slam has more than a bit of asterisk surrounding it because of the odd conditions and most notably Djokovic's disqualification. But under these circumstances this knife can surely cut both ways.

From Thiem's point of view he must develop a supreme confidence from his Slam triumph that says to him that he deserves this and if he plays to his potential the trophy is his to lose. So this is basically a toss up and depending upon your perspective the favourite is anybody's guess. This match will be entertaining...at least more entertaining than the usual. Now it is two different players in the final of a big event even though two of the old guard WERE present and accounted for. The contrast of player game style is a different look as well. Thiem has established himself from the rest of the wannabe's and Medvedev is hungry to join him. Zverev and Tsitsipas are big pieces to this new puzzle as well. Zverev having won this event and Tsitsipas being the only player with a dash of Federer's personna. What is the word for that? Charisma.

Thiem doesn't have that much charisma but he is a very nice young man. Medvedev has a bit more because of his potentially abrasive nature at times but he lacks the physical appearance and the elegant style to boot. Let's see what kind of spectacle these two can create. The rest of the tournament was so forgettable as they jockeyed for position to make the semifinals and the semifinal matches were pretty much duds. The Djokovic vs. Thiem match surely was. My wife and I were watching it at one point I said to here that it wasn't a particularly well played match.

[stroke]

Oddmakers have Medvedev as the favorite with about a 58% chance of winning. That is not surprising as Medvedev was favored vs Nadal. Medvedev is getting a lot of respect from the oddsmakers.

[don_budge]

Actually it's a skunk. But most importantly...it was neutered. Balls surgically removed. Credit to Daniil...aka Mr. Pencil.

Another match I opted out of early. Medvedev was down a set and up a break in the second. Nadal broke back and the prospect of watching this imbecile prevail sent me diving for the comfy pillow and a good night's sleep. That was a good decision anyways. I like this guy...Mr. Pencil. He and Dominic should have a fun time duking it out today. Thiem beat him at the U. S. Open on route to his maiden Slam and Medvedev beat him in straight sets the time before. Advantage who?

It's a toss up. Both are locked and loaded after eliminating the fading dreams of great players past. Thiem cold cocked Djokovic and should have taken him out in straight sets. But he dragged it out and this might actually play into his favour with the additional pressure of the third set. Same with Medvedev...the three set come from behind will do nothing but install confidence and belief. The quality of play in this final might not be as high if the other two had made it through due to the unusual event of playing someone other than one of the "Big Three or Four" in the final of a major event. However they are going to have to get used to it quickly as they are quickly assuming respective positioning of members of elite status. It is fitting that it these two have navigated the field to the finals. Tsitsipas and Zverev lagging behind a bit but closing.

A breath of fresh air. No bouncey...bouncey...bouncey during the endless service games. Just put the damn ball in play. Nice job guys. Let's see what they can conjure up for entertainment and quality of play.

[don_budge]

All credit to Medvedev. He cut the head off the snake. He physically bested Nadal.

Actually it's a skunk. But most importantly...it was neutered. Balls surgically removed. Credit to Daniil...aka Mr. Pencil.

[don_budge]

Oops...I left Ram and Salisbury just a bit too soon. They seemed to be up comfortably in the super tie-break but Melzer and company overtook them. I'll tell you what...I certainly enjoyed some of the doubles actions compared to the singles. It certainly beats the dull, monotonous and mind-numbing backcourt play. The singles players look like rank amateurs once they cross the rubicon into the forecourt. Novak looks like a fish out of water in particular. Clueless. Befuddled. Yet there are some who will say that this is one of the greatest players of all time. Well he is good. Certainly one of the best in this post modern era of tennis. But he is good only under a specific set of conditions. The hallmark of a great tennis player USED to be the ability to adapt to all conditions. The ability to adapt.

Rajeev and Joe certainly were one of the best TEAMS in this tournament. The element of teamwork certainly adds to the interest/entertainment factor. I bit less selfish than the self absorbed endless bouncing of the tennis ball and the mobbing of the ball kids. It was almost like a trip back in time watching two one-handed backhands playing on the same side of the court. Pretty good volleys all around. Great use of the lob and smash ability was tested often. Super service returns. Excellent tactical play. All of the things lacking in the singles game. Take note powers that be. All of the engineering and monkeying around with the equipment and court surfaces has conjured up a sterile facsimile of the original. Time to go backwards through the portal of time. Make Tennis Great Again. MTGA...you heard it first here. Courtesy of don_budge. Tennis metaphoring life...the red thread of connecting dots.