On a roll, Medvedev steers Russia to ATP Cup title
Melbourne, Feb 07 (AP): After celebrating their ATP Cup triumph as teammates for Russia, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev will go their own ways at the Australian Open next week and may meet at Melbourne Park as rivals in the quarterfinals.
Medvedev improved his winning streak to 14 matches and secured Russia’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the ATP Cup final on Sunday when he beat Matteo Berrettini 6-4, 6-2 at Rod Laver Arena.
Rublev had given his team a commanding start with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Fabio Fognini.
The No. 4-ranked Medvedev has certainly been peaking, winning his last 10 matches against top-10 players, including a sweep of the top three at the ATP Finals last year and a close victory over Alexander Zverev in the semifinals here. “It’s a confidence boost,” he said.
The Australian Open starts Monday but Medvedev and Rublev, who has won five titles and 45 singles matches since the start of 2020, get a day off before their first-round matches.
As for having such a run of big matches so close to a major, Medvedev said he wouldn’t know for a couple of weeks whether it was ideal preparation for a major or not.
