Daniil Medvedev, the ATP tour’s hottest player, will kick off his Indian Wells bid against American Brandon Nakashima on Friday.
Daniil Medvedev starting off his 2023 season in a bit of a slump. The 2022 Australian Open finalist crashed out in Melbourne in the third round to young American Sebastian Korda. As it happened, the slump was actually the result of wrist pain that Medvedev attributes to the Dunlop tennis balls used at the event. Since that disappointment, the world No. 6 has won three consecutive tournaments on the trot — including the title last week in Dubai. Medvedev handed world No. 1 Novak Djokovic his first loss of the season in a surprisingly routine straight-set rout.
If Medvedev’s story is one of wild success, Nakashima’s is the opposite. The American came into the 2023 season with some high expectations. The world No. 48 won his first ATP tour title in San Diego, followed by a title run at the ATP Next Gen Finals. The optimism for his season is as yet unrealized. Prior to his first-round win over John Isner earlier this week, Nakashima had exactly one match win for the year (vs. Daniel Altmaier).
Certainly at some point Medvedev is going to get tired, but it doesn’t seem as though that time has come just yet. The Russian was brutally efficient in Dubai. He didn’t drop a single set en route to the title and there was no sign of fatigue. Given Nakashima’s level and Medvedev’s current form, anything other than a straight-set win for the favorite would be a surprise.
Cheryl pick: Medvedev in 2
Ricky pick: Medvedev in 2
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