Resurgent Daniil Medvedev sinks Jannik Sinner to claim Miami Open

Daniil Medvedev took to the court in Rotterdam on 14 February seemingly in the most difficult period of his career as a top player. Having not won a big tournament throughout the 2022 season, an early defeat at the Australian Open pushed him from the top 10 for the first time in three years. He felt he was doing all the right things on and off the court, yet nothing was working. His confidence was shot.

As Medvedev fell down a set during his opening match in Rotterdam his coach, Gilles Cervara, responded to his frustration with a simple command: “Keep going.” Medvedev listened, recovering from a set down to win and used it as his catchphrase as he gradually embarked on one of the most impressive runs in recent years.

He has not stopped since. On Sunday, seven weeks later, Medvedev defeated Jannik Sinner 7-5, 6-3 to win the Miami Open title for the first time in his career, his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title and his 19th ATP title overall. During this incredible run of form across three continents, Medvedev has won four titles and reached five finals in five consecutive tournament weeks, winning 24 of his past 25 matches. He will rise to No 1 in the ATP race and he returns to the top four of the rankings.

In the final, the Russian faced an opponent in the best form of his life. Sinner had immediately followed up a semi-final run in Indian Wells by reaching another semi-final in Miami without dropping a set and then the 21-year-old had produced the win of his career in a delirious glimpse into the future of men’s tennis, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in three sets to return to the final.

The victory only afforded him another incredibly difficult contest against Medvedev, who had already compiled a 5-0 record against Sinner. The