US Open ATP Match of the Day: Daniil Medvedev vs. J.J. Wolf

“Look at the quads on this man!” shouted Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter in reference to J.J. Wolf—whose mullet paying homage to his favorite player, Andre Agassi, has become a popular talking point at Flushing Meadows.

While Agassi and Wolf may share tree-trunk legs, crazy hair and devastating groundstrokes, their path to the pros could not have been more different. Thanks to his father, Agassi specialized in tennis from the time he could walk. Wolf, on the other hand, has only been a full-time tennis player for five years. The Cincinnati native played soccer, basketball and baseball until his 16th birthday.

“I play more like an athlete than a tennis player,” Wolf says. “I wouldn’t call myself a tennis genius.”

If you haven’t seen the former Ohio State All-American play, now is your chance. Though the US Open is just Wolf’s second ATP main draw, and his first-ever Grand Slam appearance, UTR rates him as the world’s 40th best player.

“J.J. hits as big as anyone I’ve seen coming out of college in a long, long time,” says USTA Pro Circuit commentator Mike Cation, who has seen Wolf play up close and personal dozens of times on the Challenger tour. “Now it's about seeing how he will respond when he gets smacked in the face by someone who can match him shot for shot with pace.”

Someone like Daniil Medvedev, perhaps. The oddsmakers second favorite to win the tournament behind Novak Djokovic.

While Medvedev is obviously a hefty favorite, the matchup should present plenty of fascinating points, and will test’s the Russian’s incredible scrambling ability. To combat Wolf’s frozen-rope groundstrokes, Medvedev will likely play the majority of points from far behind the baseline. Last year’s finalist will likely outlast and out-experience Wolf, but don’t be surprised to see Wolf go toe to toe with the world No. 5.

The Pick: Daniil Medvedev