If Medvedev & Muguruza continue like this, bigger prizes may lie ahead

Were any pros from the 1990s, or earlier, watching Daniil Medvedev play in Marseille on Sunday? If so they may have been smiling to themselves and thinking, “Welcome to our world. Not so fun, is it?”

In his final against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Medvedev had to deal with two aspects of the sport that he has, for the most part, been mercifully free from so far in his career: (1) an opponent who is a skilled and enthusiastic net-rusher; and (2) no Hawk-Eye challenge system.

Given that, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that Medvedev was a little testy through most of this three-setter. He complained that chair umpire Fergus Murphy overruled some close calls but not others. He threw his hands in the air when an out call came a second late. He vented in Russian between points. He watched as his passing shots were intercepted and turned into deft volley winners by his opponent. He let a golden opportunity to close out the match in the second-set tiebreaker slip away. In general, Medvedev looked like he was one service break, or one bad call, from going nuclear.

But that service break and that bad call never came, and Medvedev maintained most of his composure through what turned out to be a highly-entertaining, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-4 win over the 29-year-old Herbert. Two years ago, the Frenchman beat Medvedev in five sets at Roland Garros. He played even better in this match—until the final game.

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If those ex-pros from the '90s were watching, they may have smiled at Medvedev’s frustration, but they must have also enjoyed the old-school contrast in styles that was on display in Marseille. Medvedev hit dipping returns and passes; Herbert dug them out, dropped them short, and angled them off. Medvedev dominated the baseline rallies with his big-windup ground strokes, but often couldn’t bring himself to follow his best shots to net. Herbert was happy to take it over from him. He won his points there with with the reflexes and crisp volleys you would expect from someone who owns all four major titles in doubles.

In the end, what separated Medvedev and Herbert was their history as tournament winners. Medvedev had won nine singles title coming into this week; Herbert had won none. With Herbert serving at 4-5 in the third set, we found out why. While Medvedev raised his return game, Herbert’s volleys suddenly found the net. And just like that, the match was over.

“I’m really happy,” said Medvedev, who will become the first player outside the Big 4 (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray) to reach No. 2 in the rankings. “I knew I would become No. 2 no matter what on Monday. It is always better when you step up in the rankings when you do something great.”

“Pierre-Hugues can play unbelievable tennis,” Medvedev continued. “I know what he’s capable of…Today was a tricky, tough match, and I’m really happy I managed to be on top and get the win.”

Medvedev took a series of strides with this title. He improved his 2021 record to 14-2; he put whatever disappointment he must have felt after the Australian Open final behind him; he reached double digits in career titles—“something I dreamt of when I was a kid”; and he became the first player from his generation crack the Top 2.

Going old-school, against a net-rusher and without a replay system, may have been annoying. But Medvedev found out again that good things happen when you keep it together.

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Like Medvedev, Garbiñe Muguruza had played brilliant tennis at the Australian Open, only to see it ultimately go for nought. Like him, she had lost to the eventual champion there. Like him, she was playing some of the best tennis on her tour in 2021, but as of Saturday, she was still without a title. And like him, she ended that frustrating dry spell with a 7-6 (6), 6-3 win over Barbora Krejcikova in her third final of the year, in Dubai.

“It means a lot, it’s never to win easy titles,” Muguruza said. “It doesn’t happen often…A nice relief to be able to hold a champion’s trophy.”

Muguruza is right: For a two-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1, tournament victories have been surprisingly hard to come by. This was her first since 2019, and just her eighth overall. But while it wasn’t a major, or even a 1000, it was well-earned. Muguruza beat Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek convincingly, 6-0, 6-4. She won her second straight hotly-contested three-setter over Aryna Sabalenka. She held off an exceptionally stubborn Elise Mertens 7-5 in a second-set tiebreaker. And she did the same against Krejcikova, who had been on her game all week, and didn’t cave without a fight.

“It was such a tight match,” Muguruza said after the final, in which she hit 31 winners and made 31 unforced errors. “It could have gone either way. I feel like the finals are very hard, the two best players of that week.”

Tennis often appears to be a struggle for Muguruza, who never hides her desire to win, or the anxiety that comes with it. In the past, bad losses have sent her into tailspins, and there were days when she couldn’t muster much of a fight. But none of that has been the case in 2021. These days, if she’s broken or if she loses a lead—or, as happened in the final, her opponent takes a 12-minute break between sets—Muguruza puts it out her mind and starts over. I thought her loss to Naomi Osaka in Australia, in which she was nearly perfect until she reached match point, might set her back for a few months. But she’s 9-1 since.

“I always believed every time that I go out there, I’m one of the players that can get the trophy,” Muguruza said. “There’s proof this week, yes, but I’ve always believed that, in good moments and bad moments.”

Medvedev and Muguruza may have played better tennis in Australia than anyone other than the champions. This week, they played better than anyone in Marseille or Dubai. If they keep going like this, there should be bigger prizes ahead.