This was the ACE up his sleeve that Medvedev kept against Alcaraz
To understand why Alcaraz lost so clearly to the Russian last night in Indian Wells, we must delve into the three tactical keys that Medvedev executed to perfection.
Last night, Daniil Medvedev recalled the one from the great nights. The one who won a Grand Slam final against Djokovic and the former world number 1. Despite more than two years since his last performance like this, the Russian dusted off his racket and delivered one of those matches that left everyone astonished, defeating a Carlos Alcaraz who had little to offer against this level of Daniil.
Carlitos could only be frustrated by not finding a way through against a Medvedev who played a perfect match. The strategy the Russian brought to the court was not only suitable but executed to perfection. There was nothing that didn't go well for Daniil, who made it clear that when he can play this type of tennis, he is one of the players to watch out for in major tournaments.
Key 1: Being very offensive
We all have in mind Medvedev being defensive when facing his opponents, but his best performances on the circuit have come from being ultra offensive. Not just offensive, but ultra offensive. That is, stepping inside the court and starting to attack the depth.
Overall, the Russian attacked 30% of the time, compared to Alcaraz's 22%. In other words, he took away the attacking initiative from Carlitos, who was forced to defend in most situations. He pushed him out of his comfort zone and took the match on his terms. If we add to this the fact that he performed better on his forehand than Alcaraz (9.1 to 8.9 of Alcaraz) and won more points from the baseline, it was clear that the match would go his way.
Key 2: Playing inside the court
Daniil usually plays standing between 2 and 4 meters behind the baseline in most cases. Against Alcaraz, he knew he couldn't give the Spaniard so much room to maneuver because that would eventually be his downfall. Therefore, he chose to take several steps forward and hit the ball within the court 39% of the time. You read that right: inside.
This is 11% higher than his average. He opted to play very close to the baseline, similar to Sinner, trying to hit flat and deep to force Carlos into errors or a short ball that would allow him to move forward afterward. He suffocated the Murciano the entire time, not allowing him to breathe. It was an offensive onslaught rarely seen. Clinical and perfect.
Key 3: Intelligent from the return
Besides being almost flawless with his serve and getting out of very tough moments with his service, like those four set points he faced in the second set, Medvedev showed a different version in his returns compared to his usual style. Just as he did at the US Open 2023 against Alcaraz, the Spaniard never felt he could make an impact with his serve.
Looking at where he placed the second returns, we understand that Daniil chose to return from 5-6 meters behind the baseline and never aimed to risk, hit low, or go for the baseline, but rather aimed to place the ball in the three-quarter zone of the court, with weight, ensuring not to miss, to push Alcaraz back and begin to move forward himself, hitting more and more within the court.
With these tactical movements, Alcaraz felt very pressured, and only at the end of the match, by being more offensive, did he pose more problems for the Russian, but it was already too late for him. The match was practically in Medvedev's hands, and he emerged victorious with a tactical style that gave him the win on one of those afternoons he needed to experience again. Against Alcaraz, last night in Indian Wells, Medvedev once again became the Medvedev that no one wants to face across the net.
Data source: Insights, by TennisViz.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Este fue el AS bajo la manga que se guardaba Medvedev ante Alcaraz