Daniil Medvedev was quick to breeze through his opening round match against Attila Balazs, dropping just two games and going on to bagel the Hungarian in the third set.
Medvedev's overall level has been quite patchy for some time this season and he has not only experienced some uncharacteristic results, but also lost some significant matches to his rivals, including Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati, and weeks prior to that, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon semi-final.
All appeared to be fine today at the 2023 US Open, as he had far too much baseline solidity, discipline, and hard-court pedigree for someone like Balazs, who is far more adept on a slower clay court. Medvedev praised his own performance after the match:
"Yeah, that is probably the fastest three-set match I've played, even though I'm not sure, but probably. I felt not bad on the court. Quite well. Looking forward to the next rounds."
Medvedev is often regarded as one of the more insightful players on the ATP Tour, who isn't afraid to share how he feels on most topics. The Russian did not disappoint in his answers about the coaching dynamic in tennis and how that varies and differs compared to most of the team sports around the world.
"I can see what you mean, because in team sports it is the team that hires the coach. I think in tennis it is still very important for the coach to kind of be the boss, because otherwise it is not going to be a player-coach relationship. When the player is the boss I don't think it is good. But it is more about that you are being one and one with your coach. So you are every day with him and he has only one player, and you have only him as a coach."
A coach that is in charge of a group of players often has to delegate his instructions in differing ways that suit the individual in question, and the focus for a team coach essentially is to have better control of the situation. Medvedev backed this up further in his US Open press conference.
"A coach in a team sport has to be stricter, because he has to control the team. He doesn't have to control only one player. So I would guess if he doesn't impose himself, he's going to be very fast taken out by the team, anyway, because they are going to take control."
Medvedev will be searching for similar type of control to his tennis when he faces Chris O'Connell in the second round at Flushing Meadows.
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