Daniil Medvedev revealed he battled doubts at the start of the year but now feels much better after winning a third consecutive title.
On Saturday, Medvedev saw off fellow Russian Andrey Rublev 6-2 6-2 in the Dubai final.
For Medvedev, it was his third title in as many weeks.
Previously, Medvedev made it all the way in Rotterdam and Doha.
At the start of the year, Medvedev wasn’t playing really well and he suffered a shock straight-set defeat to Sebastian Korda in the Australian Open third round.
“It is amazing because at the start of the year, it was not perfect. In tennis when you don’t win matches you have doubts. Now it just feels better. I was really happy with these three weeks and I am looking forward to the next ones,” Medvedev said, per the ATP website.
How Medvedev defeated Rublev?
Medvedev made a perfect start to the Dubai final, breaking Rublev in the very first game of the match.
Up by an early break, Medvedev broke Rublev again in the seventh game and routinely served out for the first set in the following game.
After easily losing the first set, Rublev bounced back a bit at the start of the second set.
Through the first three games of the second set, no breaks were seen as Rublev had a 2-1 lead.
Then, Medvedev put on another gear as he claimed back-to-back breaks in the fifth and seventh games to win five games in a row and complete a straight-set win in style.
“It was very tactical [match]. I know Andrey can cause a lot of trouble to everyone on Tour. Every time we play he tries to make me suffer, I try to make him suffer. Today I managed to be on top, but the next match could be a different story,” Medvedev said.
Medvedev will now turn his focus on the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami.
It remains to be seen if Medvedev can also put on a strong run at the Sunshine Double and continue his winning streak.
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