The last official tournament of the season for our fans, according to good tradition, takes place with the participation of two Russians.

If for Daniil Medvedev a visit to Turin can be the crown of a successful season, then for Andrei Rublev it is a chance to prove to himself that he has not yet reached the ceiling and is able to compete with the strongest.

But the main Russian tennis players left many questions about Andrey’s progress. After the uncontested defeat, I literally burst into tears from helplessness.

Clear favorite

The Italian public was waiting for this meeting, it seems, no less than the Russian one. The 16,000-seat arena in Turin was filled to capacity for the first draw. Spectators came to watch the big battle between players from the top 5, although this year the duels between Medvedev and Rublev could hardly be called thrillers.

Danya reserved both previous matches of the season. Moreover, neither in Dubai nor at the US Open was Rublev able to bring at least one game to a tiebreaker. But here, on the fast Italian court, Andrei’s chances with his signature aggressive tennis increased.

And in a group where, in addition to Daniil, the opponents are also the lightning-fast Alcaraz and the sophisticated Zverev, Rublev’s motivation in each match is beyond the bounds. For the 26-year-old Russian, the season was rich in finals, but Andrei again never finished in the top 4 at a Grand Slam tournament. The final ATP tournament is the last opportunity of the season to climb high in competition with the best.

Medvedev, who left early at the Masters in Paris a couple of weeks ago, had more time to prepare, although experts were seriously talking about the possible physical decline of Russia’s number one racket. However, Danya looked like the favorite.

“The worst court”

Already from the first rallies, it was clear that Medvedev had recovered and was ready not only to defend in his classic manner, but also to attack. Of course, not as aggressively as Andrey, but it was enough to force a fight on Rublev’s serve.

Andrey, on the contrary, for a long time was unable to stick to the reception. A large number of unforced errors against the background of impeccable actions of the opponent gradually made the less titled Russian angry.

The scenario of the first set suggested that, sooner or later, Medvedev would achieve his goal. In the seventh game, Andrei wavered and somehow casually allowed his friend to make a break, ending the rally with an unthinkable mistake.

It was not possible to respond immediately to someone else’s serve, but Andrei had a chance in the opening game. When Danya seemed to very confidently come out to serve for the set, Rublev grabbed his opponent and earned a double break point. However, unfortunately for Andrey, he does not always make it through in such episodes. And I didn’t push it here either. The game lasted more than 10 minutes, but remained with Medvedev. Same as the first set – 6:4.

Ridiculous fall

The second game, as expected, was a continuation of the first. Rublev could not get out of his head the missed chances in the last game of the opening set: there were a lot of emotions and jerky movements that continued to provoke mistakes.

In the first game, Medvedev converted a break point on the fourth attempt, then took his serve and led 2:0. It was obvious that Rublev simply had nothing to fight with such a Medvedev. Andrey, first of all, lost to his nerves, so already in the fifth game of the second set the result of the meeting was determined.

Rublev took the lead with his serve, but Medvedev traditionally dragged his comrade into long exchanges of blows, where he is a priori better. So the winner of the 2020 ATP Final Tournament earned another break point, and at the decisive moment Rublev finally broke down.

Andrey went to the net after a powerful shot along the line and was supposed to equalize the situation, but suddenly slipped and fell. Medvedev’s shot into the open court found Andrey without the opportunity to respond. Rublev lay on the court and screamed. But not from pain, but from disappointment.

“The most terrible court,” Rublev shouted most often after unsuccessful plays throughout the match.

This situation was the last straw for the inferior Russian. He swore furiously at the surface, slammed his racket on the court, and then sat down on his bench and grabbed his face. The Russian tennis player looked morally killed and helpless. The red eyes from tears spoke for themselves.

It didn’t cost anything for Medvedev to win the first game in Turin: 6:4, 6:2. A very confident start to the tournament from the third racket of the world was overshadowed by Rublev’s depressing condition. Andrey lost all seven sets to his friend this season. And he has very little time to get himself in order and give battle to other competitors in the group. And to reach the semifinals now, most likely, we need to beat both Alcaraz and Zverev.