Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2019. Today we feature Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer.

Once a rivalry moves past 20 or 30 matches, surely not even all-time greats Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer can recall each match in detail, such as who did what on match point and how exactly momentum shifted in each FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting.

In 2019, Djokovic and Federer added only two matches to their FedEx ATP Head2Head series (Djokovic leads 26-23). But, no doubt, those two battles will remain long in the memory of both players, such was the quality of each meeting.

Wimbledon, F, Djokovic d. Federer 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3)
Djokovic had beaten Federer in their past two Wimbledon finals (2014, 2015), and it had been four years since Federer had beaten Djokovic anywhere. But there was still plenty of reason to believe the Swiss, an eight-time Wimbledon champion, would pull off the upset.

Federer beat Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, their first matchup at SW19 since that 2008 final, widely considered the greatest match in history, and Federer had pushed Djokovic to three sets in the 2018 Rolex Paris Masters final, which was named “Best ATP Match Of 2018” by ATPTour.com.

But Djokovic harboured loads of confidence as well, having won his fourth Wimbledon title (d. Anderson) in 2018 and his past three matches against his Swiss rival.

Federer, playing in his 12^thWimbledon final, forced the decider by serving the fourth set out during his second attempt. But Djokovic ripped back momentum in the fifth game of the deciding set, breaking for a 4-2 lead. The Serbian had been up and down during the final up to that point.

Djokovic battled to take the first set tie-break and the lead, then all but disappeared during the second set as Federer evened the match. In the third, the Djokovic of old entered lockdown mode to again take the tie-break.

But Federer, who was steady all match, answered in the fourth, giving a capacity Centre Court crowd and the millions of fans watching on TV exactly what they wanted: a fifth set.

Djokovic served for a 5-2 lead in the fifth when the best drama of the season began. Federer broke back as a pro-Swiss crowd roared, and the two stayed on serve until 7-7, when Federer broke for a chance to serve out the match.

At 37 years and 340 days, Federer was trying to become the oldest man in the Open Era to win a Slam. He also was seeking his ninth Wimbledon title and his first major championship crown since January 2018 at the Australian Open.

Serving at 8-7, 40/15, pro-Federer fans held up their index fingers. Just one more point, and Federer would be able to celebrate more Wimbledon glory. But the Swiss couldn’t handle a deep Djokovic return that made it 40/30, and Djokovic crushed a forehand pass to make it deuce before breaking and putting the final back on serve.

It had been 71 years since a Wimbledon men’s singles champion had saved match points in the final, and no singles match at SW19 had ever been decided by a fifth-set tie-break. For the first time, organisers decided that a tie-break would be implemented at 12-all in the fifth set instead of making someone win by two games, like Kevin Anderson did against John Isner in the 2018 semi-finals, when he won the fifth set 26-24.

But Djokovic saved two match points, and he won the fifth-set tie-break for his fifth Wimbledon title.

By some measures, Federer outplayed the Serbian, winning 14 more points and hitting 40 more winners (94 to 54). But by the most important measure – the score – Djokovic owned their 48^th FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting and had now beaten Federer in three consecutive Wimbledon finals.

Nitto ATP Finals, Group Bjorn Borg, Federer d. Djokovic 6-4, 6-3
Win and advance: Djokovic and Federer’s second match of 2019 would send one of them home and propel the other one to the semi-finals of the season finale at The O2 in London. Both players had lost to Dominic Thiem earlier in the week and were 1-1 heading into the Thursday night showdown.

Djokovic was hoping to reach the semi-finals and make a push for his sixth year-end No. 1 finish in the ATP Rankings. Federer, meanwhile, was going for his second “Big Title” of the season after winning his 28^th ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami (d. Isner).

The Swiss also was looking to recalibrate his rivalry with Djokovic. The Serbian had won nine of their past 11 matchups, including the Wimbledon final in July. But, before their 49^th FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting, Federer batted off any suggestions that the tough loss at SW19 would affect him at The O2.

“I didn’t hope I was never going to play him again,” Federer said. “Actually, it’s good for me to play him again, and maybe that all helps to get a chance to get him back.

“I’m personally excited to play against Novak.”

The excitement showed. Federer played one of his best matches of the season, executing his aggressive game plan close to perfection and overwhelming Djokovic, who never had the upper hand.

At 1-1, the Serbian donated two double faults to start, and on break point, 0/40, Federer walloped a sitting backhand. On serve, Federer won 87 per cent (20/23) of his service points and made only one unforced error in the first set.

Djokovic saw a break point in the fourth game of the second set, but Federer saved it and broke the next game as the crowd chanted, “Let’s go, Ro-ger, let’s go!”

Federer broke once more to close it out. He finished with 23 winners to only five unforced errors.

Watch Federer-Djokovic Nitto ATP Finals Highlights

“There was a lot riding on the match. I think I served great, had great anticipation, a clear game plan and it worked to perfection tonight, and hopefully not the last time against Novak,” Federer said. “But even if it [is], it was all worth it. It was a great performance tonight from me.”

Federer would fall short of winning the season’s final title, losing to Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals. But the Swiss had reset his rivalry with Djokovic, a promising sign for Federer and his fans heading into 2020.

Djokovic vs. Federer In 2019

One of the final six countries to qualify for the inaugural ATP Cup was Moldova, led by World No. 46 Radu Albot. The 30-year-old, who claimed his first ATP Tour title this year in Delray Beach, is the highest-ranked player in his country’s history as well as its only titlist.

Albot speaks to ATPTour.com about how important Moldova’s participation in the ATP Cup is for tennis in his country, what the opportunity means for his teammates and what he loves most about Moldova.

What would it mean to you to lead your country into the ATP Cup?
I think it’s pretty big for Moldova because bigger countries like Ukraine and Romania, which border Moldova, did not get in. It is cool for our country and for me also of course, being No. 1 in Moldova and playing matches against top players. It will be very interesting, so it will be good for the country, good for me. Only positive things to get from that.

Speaking of how important it is for you to start the year against top competition, so how much of an opportunity is it for you to face those tough matches right away?
I don’t mind. It’s good to play against the top guys. It’s good that you have a chance to get matches against them… I don’t mind to play with the top guys, for sure.

I guess I’ll be playing both matches – singles and doubles. You have to play and if I’m No. 1, I need to go on the court to compete.

You’re not on a team too often, so what will that experience be like for you?
I think I just need to focus on my matches, because my matches will be much stronger playing against the top guys in the world. From there, we’ll see who we’re going to play, how we’re going to play and so on.

What do you love most about your country?
I like that in Moldova, people are very simple. They are very hospitable. They will invite you in your house, invite you for dinner, for a glass wine, something like that. These two characteristics are for most of the Moldovan people. That’s what I like the most from my country and my people.

At a lot of your biggest tournaments you’ve said family and friends stay up through the night to watch you. Do you think the whole country will be keeping its eye on your team?
I don’t know how many people will be awake to watch. Maybe a lot, maybe not so many. But I think the people close to me like my family and close friends will stay up and watch, especially if I have a match against a big guy.

You’ve always said that you want to inspire people from your country, kids to become better than you one day. So how important is this to show your country competing against the best in the world?
I think it’s very important to be among the top countries in the world because of me, because of my [ATP] Ranking. That’s pretty good. I know for sure now that the kids are watching me, they are trying to play as me. I am a role model for them and I would say it’s pretty important that they are focussed, they practise and become better than me one day.

How well do you know some of your teammates?
I know all of them. I’ve even spoken with them about if they’re happy to participate in the ATP Cup, if they want to come.

How important is it for them to have this opportunity?
One guy was very excited. He was like, ‘Yeah, for sure I’m coming, no question.’ Straight away he gave a positive answer. For sure it’s something cool for them to be in such a big event because they play only Futures events.

To be right away with the top guys at a top tournament with top prize money, this will be a good experience for them and hopefully give them a a boost so they can improve, get better and compete at a higher level, not only Futures.

Growing up, when you would go to the tennis courts, what was the experience like since tennis isn’t huge in Moldova?
The first memory is you get a ball and you go to hit against the wall. And then there are 30 kids on one court and one guy hits the ball, one guy hits the other way and you run and you hustle and nothing happens. It’s like chaos everywhere.

Another thing I remember is you hit over the wall and you need to go around the fence to grab your ball because you get just one. So you practise hitting the wall for a few minutes, you hit it over and then you look for the ball for 30 minutes.

Jan-Lennard Struff enjoyed the best season of his career in 2019, climbing to a career-high No. 33 in the ATP Rankings, reaching two ATP Tour semi-finals and earning five wins against Top 10 opponents.

The 29-year-old will hope to carry that momentum into 2020, beginning the new season at the inaugural ATP Cup. Struff is Germany’s No. 2 singles player, and he will hope to help his country advance out of Group F, which also consists of Greece, Canada and Australia. Struff speaks to ATPTour.com about his German idols growing up, what makes competing on a team special, and more.

Which countrymen did you watch growing up and what did you admire about them?
A lot of players: Tommy Haas, Nicolas Kiefer, really a lot of them. Those are the two biggest names, I would say. I liked the way they played, I liked the style they played.

Tommy was an inspiration for me. When I played him in Munich and in Kitzbuhel it was unreal to play him. It was just crazy because he played his last match against me in Kitzbuhel. Obviously I liked his intensity on court and the way he hit the ball. It was just unreal, I really loved that.

What are your early memories of playing tennis in your home country?
I started playing with my parents, who were both tennis coaches. I really enjoyed playing. When I was a small kid, I always loved to go out and I played soccer, as well.

I just loved to do something with my friends, playing the sport and travelling with some guys from my practice group. We just had a fun time, playing club matches in the youth area, under 12, under 14, like four guys. We are very good friends and we were just enjoying the matches and practice sessions together.

Of course I watched so many Grand Slams on TV, it was unreal. When I was in school, the Australian Open was on TV. They started at 1 in the morning. I was waking up at 5 or 6 with my mom, watching interesting matches.

What do you think will be the most fun part of playing on a team?
I love to be part of a team. It’s an honour to play for my country. I’ve always dreamed about that. When I first listened to the national anthem when I was playing [for Germany] I had goosebumps. I was just tight. Everyone is tight playing for their country for the first time. I had an amazing match. It’s unreal.

We [spend] most of our time on Tour playing for ourselves. We have a team with our coaches and a physio and a fitness coach, and we kind of play for them as well, for our team. But to play with other players is just a great feeling…. The ATP Cup, the new event, I think will be really good.

What makes you excited about it?
It’s something new. It’s a new event and it’s in Australia. Australia is good for tennis. [It is] such a nice time always in December going to Australia and playing the Australian Open.

I think that this event at the beginning of the year will be a great kick-off, start of the year. Playing a team event is just exciting because you don’t know what it’s going to be like, but I think it’s going to be really great.

If you could take one stroke from any one of your countrymen, what would it be?
I would take the backhand of Zverev. It’s so consistent. He plays so well from the baseline and his backhand is outrageous.

What is the best practical joke a compatriot has played on you?
We do some fun things when we’re on a team. In Australia… we went to an escape room together and did some great stuff to make good team-building. We don’t take it too seriously on the team. I think everyone is just sometimes [making] a joke for themselves.

What are three things you love most about your country?
It’s very tough to pick three, not the weather, though. I really like the stability of the rules system in Germany. I enjoy the people a lot. I like to see my family and I like driving fast cars. That’s one of the big things on the Autobahn! That’s one of the good things we have in Germany. I’m very proud of our country and I think we have good rules.

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2019. Today we feature Roger Federer vs. Dominic Thiem.

Years from now, Dominic Thiem will look back on the 2019 season as the year he became an all-court player, and for proof, he will need to look no further than his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Roger Federer.

Thiem and Federer were even (2-2) coming into 2019. The Austrian went 2-1 against the Swiss in 2016, including a straight-sets win on clay in Rome and a grass-court victory in Stuttgart, before Federer shut down his 2016 campaign after Wimbledon to rest his left knee (3 February surgery).

But the Swiss tied their series with a straight-sets win in quick conditions at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals at The O2 in London. In 2019, however, Thiem would leave no doubt about who was in charge of their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry.

BNP Paribas Open, F, Thiem d. Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
Federer has dominated few ATP Masters 1000s as he has the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The Swiss is tied with Novak Djokovic for the all-time titles lead (five) and before 2019, he had reached the final in his past four appearances (1-3).

In March, the Swiss, fresh off his 100^th title in Dubai, cruised into the Indian Wells final without dropping a set and was rested after Rafael Nadal withdrew (knee) from their semi-final.

Thiem, meanwhile, had only three wins on the 2019 season heading into the year’s first Masters 1000. But on the slow hard courts in Indian Wells, he blasted backhand after backhand against Federer, opening up the court and winning his first Masters 1000 title. Thiem fell behind a set but erased break points early in the second set to grab back momentum.

“I was in the zone the whole match,” Thiem said. “It’s a pleasure to compete against Roger in this great final. I lost my last two Masters 1000 finals, but I won this one and it feels as nice as a Grand Slam.”

Mutua Madrid Open, QF, Thiem d. Federer 3-6, 7-6(11), 6-4
In May, at the Mutua Madrid Open, Federer was playing in his first clay-court tournament in three years, and he hadn’t beaten a Top 10 player on the red dirt since the 2015 Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals).

Luck was on Federer’s side in his second match, though. The Swiss saved two match points against France’s Gael Monfils to set up the Masters 1000 quarter-final with Thiem, a two-time finalist in Madrid.

But against the Austrian, Federer was the player who saw match points come and go. Just like in Indian Wells, Thiem came from a set down to beat the Swiss. Thiem, riding a seven-match win streak, saved match points at 7/8 and 9/10 in the second-set tie-break and, with all the momentum on his side, broke in the third and ninth games of the deciding set.

“I can hurt him with my strokes, especially on his backhand,” Thiem said. “Facing him, it always requires my absolute best game and also a little bit luck, which I both had in Indian Wells and also here, and that’s why I won these two matches.”

The loss marked the 21^st time Federer had held match points and lost, and the first time since the 2018 Wimbledon quarter-finals (Kevin Anderson).

Watch Highlights: Thiem Stuns Federer In Madrid

Nitto ATP Finals, Group Bjorn Borg, Thiem d. Federer 7-5, 7-5
But at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, where Federer has collected a record six titles, surely the Swiss would turn around their 2019 rivalry. Federer had won his 10^th Basel title in October and was eyeing another “Big Title” to go with his Miami crown (d. Isner) after near misses at Indian Wells and Wimbledon (l. to Djokovic).

Thiem, though, was finding his game on fast hard courts just in time. Before 2019, he had won 11 ATP Tour titles, but only two on hard court. He matched that total in October alone, winning the China Open in Beijing (d. Tsitsipas) and his home Erste Bank Open in Vienna (d. Schwartzman).

Beating a rested Federer in London presents another set of challenges, but Thiem met them all again. The Austrian, up a set, broke in the 11^th game of the second set and fought off two break points while serving it out.

“To beat him, everything has to fit together,” said Thiem. “In general, it’s a very nice victory for me. Every time I play against him is a big honour. Beating him is even better, and especially on this surface indoors, where he’s feeling well usually.”

Two days later, Thiem became only the second player in tournament history (Alexander Zverev, 2018) to beat both Federer and Djokovic. He’d go onto reach the Nitto ATP Finals title match (l. to Tsitsipas).

Thiem is one of 74 players who have faced Federer at least six times, but only five of them, including the Austrian, have a winning record.

Winning Against Federer

Federer vs. Thiem In 2019

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2019. Today we feature Rafael Nadal vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, following his second consecutive loss to Rafael Nadal last year, had a plan, or at least the makings of a plan, on how to beat the Spaniard.

At the Rogers Cup in Toronto, the 19-year-old Greek had become the youngest player to beat four Top 10 players at an event since the ATP Tour began in 1990. But his streak stopped against Nadal, who spoiled Tsitsipas’ 20^th birthday by winning his 33^rd ATP Masters 1000 title.

“Bust my ass more on the court. Work more hours and become stronger and a more solid baseliner. And withstand pressures, physical pressures on the court that, to him, just seem like nothing special. That’s the big difference between my game and his game,” Tsitsipas said.

In 2019, he wouldn’t have to wait long to see if the plan had worked.

Australian Open, SF, Nadal d. Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-4, 6-0
The two renewed their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry in the semi-finals of the Australian Open in Melbourne. Tsitsipas had beaten Roger Federer in the fourth round and persevered in five sets against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarter-finals to make his first Grand Slam semi-final.

Nadal, meanwhile, had revamped his serve in the off-season and had yet to drop a set en route to the last four at the season’s first Slam. The offensive onslaught continued against Tsitsipas as Nadal rolled into his 25th major championship final by winning 80 per cent (49/61) of his service points and hitting 28 winners. Nadal also won the final nine games.

“I have been playing well during the whole event. Every match, more or less, I think I did a lot of things well. Tonight was another one. I played solid – with my serve, playing aggressive. Probably the backhand was better today than the rest of the days,” Nadal said.

A devastated Tsitsipas struggled to find reasons for optimism in their rivalry. “Honestly, I have no idea what I can take from that match,” he said. “It’s not that I was even close to [getting] something. I only got six games from that match.”

Mutua Madrid Open, SF, Tsitsipas d. Nadal 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
But the Greek would have his moment to cherish against Nadal on the most unlikeliest of surfaces: clay, where Nadal has won more titles than anyone in history. In Madrid, the Spaniard was still working his way into top form on the red dirt. Nadal had fallen in the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, both tournaments he has won 11 times.

Tsitsipas, however, was bloated with confidence, having won his third ATP Tour title – and first on clay – at the Millennium Estoril Open (d. Cuevas) the week earlier.

Nadal had held in 26 of his 27 service games to reach the Masters 1000 semi-final, but Tsitsipas broke three times in the opening set alone to grab the lead. Nadal increasingly ran around his backhand to see more forehands in the second set and rallied to force a decider.

But in the third set, Tsitsipas continued to attack and step into the court, and he broke for the third time in the set to beat Nadal for the first time. Overall, Tsitsipas broke the Spaniard six times and saved 11 of 16 break points faced.

“You cannot imagine the relief. It’s unbelievable. I don’t want to say this, but it almost felt like I lost hope at some point. [I lost] three in a row [against him],” Tsitsipas said. “I felt in Toronto when I played him I was very close, and this match gave me a bit of confidence [that] I can do it in the future, but then it was too much. [I’m] really happy that I overcame this and dealt with it mentally. Beating him on clay makes it even more special.”

Watch Highlights: Tsitsipas Stuns Nadal In Madrid SF

Internazionali BNL d’Italia, SF, Nadal d. Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4
In Rome, the surface was the same, but Tsitsipas stared down a much different Nadal. The Spaniard, after much speculation from fans and pundits, had found his top level on the clay. Before meeting Tsitsipas in another Masters 1000 semi-final, Nadal had won his past six sets 6-0, 6-1, 6-1, 6-0, 6-4, 6-0.

The Greek would do better than Nadal’s prior opponents in the Italian capital, but he couldn’t replicate his Madrid magic. In slower conditions, Nadal broke twice and saved both break points to make the Rome final, where he beat Djokovic for his 34^th Masters 1000 title.

Nitto ATP Finals, Group Andre Agassi, Nadal d. Tsitsipas 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5
The two had one final meeting in store for fans, and it might have been their best of the year. At the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals, Nadal was fighting to have a chance at the semi-finals, and Tsitsipas was trying to end Group Andre Agassi play unbeaten.

Tsitsipas eked out a tight opening set by snagging a mini-break at 4/4 and closing out the set with an ace. But Nadal grew more comfortable in the second set and broke in the ninth game before serving it out. The Spaniard hit 11 winners to only six unforced errors and won 80 per cent of his service points (20/25) in the second set.

Tsitsipas ripped back momentum early in the third and would save four break points as The O2 crowd clamoured for more drama. But, serving at 6-5, he nudged a backhand volley wide, and Nadal broke for only the second time in the match.

The Spaniard didn’t face a single break point. Tsitsipas, however, would win Group Andre Agassi and go onto win the Nitto ATP Finals title, his biggest crown to date.

Nadal vs. Tsitsipas In 2019

Welcome to the 2019 ATP Awards, where we recognise outstanding players and tournaments. View the nominees for the player-voted categories: Comeback Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award.

ATP Awards winners, including ATPTour.com Fans’ Favourite, will be revealed in December.

Voted By Players

Comeback Player of the Year: The player who has overcome serious injury in re-establishing himself as one of the top players on the ATP Tour.

Andy Murray
Andrey Rublev
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Stan Wawrinka

Most Improved Player of the Year: The player who reached a significantly higher ATP Ranking by year’s end and who demonstrated an increasingly improved level of performance through the year.

Felix Auger-Aliassime
Matteo Berrettini
Daniil Medvedev
Stefanos Tsitsipas

Newcomer of the Year: The #NextGenATP player who entered the Top 100 for the first time in 2019 and made the biggest impact on the ATP Tour this season.

Felix Auger-Aliassime
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Miomir Kecmanovic
Corentin Moutet
Alexei Popyrin
Casper Ruud
Jannik Sinner
Mikael Ymer

Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award: The player who, throughout the year, conducted himself at the highest level of professionalism and integrity, who competed with his fellow players with the utmost spirit of fairness and who promoted the game through his off-court activities.

Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal
Diego Schwartzman
Dominic Thiem

Tournaments of the Year: The tournament in its category that operated at the highest level of professionalism and integrity and which provided the best conditions and atmosphere for participating players.

Categories:
ATP Masters 1000
ATP 500
ATP 250

Voted By Coaches

ATP Coach of the Year: Nominated and voted on by fellow ATP coach members, this award goes to the ATP coach who helped guide his players to a higher level of performance during the year.

Voted By Fans

ATPTour.com Fans’ Favourite (Singles, Doubles): The singles player and doubles team receiving the highest number of votes from ATPTour.com fans (voting closed 18 November). 

Determined By ATP Rankings

ATP Tour No. 1: The player who ends the year as World No. 1 in the ATP Rankings.

ATP Tour No. 1 Doubles Team: The team that ends the year as World No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Team Rankings. 

Chosen By ATP

Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award: The person who has made outstanding humanitarian contributions. Previous winners include former South African President Nelson Mandela, Arthur Ashe, Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and 2018 recipient Tommy Robredo.

Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award: The journalist who has made significant contributions to the game of tennis.

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2019. Today we feature Novak Djokovic vs. Daniil Medvedev.

Novak Djokovic was unbeaten in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Russian Daniil Medvedev before the 2019 season, dropping only one set in their two matches. The 6’6” Medvedev was a player, who, at times, could challenge Djokovic in rallies, but never for more than one set at a time.

All of that changed in 2019, however, as Medvedev became one of the breakout players of the season and learned how to win against the best in the sport, including the ultra-consistent Djokovic.

Australian Open, Round of 16, Djokovic d. Medvedev 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3
In Melbourne to start the year, Medvedev previewed in fits and spurts what was to come of his 2019. Against Djokovic in the Round of 16, Medvedev was trying to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final, and he pushed the Serbian like he never had in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry.

The two bludgeoned balls back and forth, tallying rallies of 40-plus shots. But Medvedev, after evening the match by winning the second set, faded.

The Russian had a 2-1 lead in the third and three consecutive break points as Djokovic served at 0/40. The World No. 1, though, snapped into action. Djokovic erased all three break points, broke in the very next game and won 12 of the next 15 points en route to winning the third and fourth sets.

“It was hard to go through him,” Djokovic said. “It was kind of a cat-and-a-mouse game for most of the match. That’s why it was so lengthy. We had rallies of 40, 45 exchanges. That’s why I think it was physically exhausting because of the fact that we didn’t really allow each other to think that we [could] make a lot of unforced errors and give away points. His backhand is very, very solid. He didn’t give me much from that side, but you can’t always play on the forehand. You have to open up the court and try to be patient and construct the point.”

The Serbian would continue his dominance in Melbourne against everyone, beating Rafael Nadal to win a record seventh Australian Open title.

Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, QF, Medvedev d. Djokovic 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Few would have predicted clay would be the surface where Medvedev would earn his maiden win against the all-time great.

The Russian entered the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters with a 2-9 tour-level record on clay and a 1-11 mark against the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. But he beat No. 8 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and then upset Djokovic – his first win against a World No. 1 – for back-to-back Top 10 wins on clay and a place in the Monte-Carlo semi-finals.

“It’s definitely the best match of my career. Not in terms of level of tennis, but definitely by the result. [It’s my] first [ATP] Masters 1000 semi-final, beating No. 1 for the first time in my life,” Medvedev said.

The Russian won the opening set, but Djokovic rallied to force a decider. In the third, however, Medvedev showed how much he had already improved since Australia. He failed to serve out the match in his first attempt but broke again, for the fifth time, for the win.

Djokovic said, “He improved his movement a lot since last year. He definitely deserves to be where he is.”

Watch Highlights: Medvedev Stuns Djokovic In Monte-Carlo

Western & Southern Open, SF, Medvedev d. Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Djokovic was playing in his first tournament since saving two match points against Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final for his 16^th Grand Slam title.

Medvedev, however, was putting together a run of his own on the North American hard courts. Already he had reached two consecutive finals at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., (l. to Kyrgios) and the Coupe Rogers in Montreal (l. to Nadal). And he continued his hard-court final streak against Djokovic, who, just last year, had won the Career Golden Masters in Cincinnati.

Medvedev fell behind 3-6, 2-3, 30/40, but erased the break point to begin the comeback. From there, on serve, Medvedev varied his pace and angles to prevent Djokovic from establishing any rhythm.

For much of the match, Medvedev essentially hit two first serves, and it worked. Djokovic hadn’t lost an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final after winning the first set in more than six years, since March 2013 against Juan Martin del Potro in Indian Wells.

“To be honest, I don’t know how I did it,” Medvedev told Brad Gilbert of ESPN. “I was so tired in the first set and playing Novak, I thought I wasn’t able to keep the intensity. Then, the one momentum change in the second set was the difference. The crowd gave me so much energy.

“Usually I’ll go bigger on my second serve when it’s not working, and Novak was just destroying me in the first set. At one moment, I said to myself, ‘Why do a normal second serve if I’m going to lose the point?’ I started to win much more after that.”

Medvedev continued winning much more after Cincinnati as well. He would win three titles (Cincinnati, St. Petersburg, Shanghai) from six consecutive finals, a run that included his first Grand Slam final at the US Open (l. to Nadal). In November, Medvedev made his debut at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals in London and secured his best year-end ATP Ranking of No. 5.

Djokovic vs. Medvedev In 2019