Daniil Medvedev is getting a boost of confidence ahead of Wimbledon this season after claiming the first grass-court title of his career at the Mallorca Championships.
The first seed beat American Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-2 to bag his second title of the 2021 season (Marseille) and his 11th career title.
“I’ve always loved playing on grass. Four seasons ago, I could say it was my favorite course. But after my results on hard courts, I can’t say anything else than hard courts, and I still prefer playing on hard courts,” Daniil Medvedev said.
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“It’s important for me to get a title like this, because we don’t have many tournaments on grass. I’m happy to win this title, but I’m looking forward to the biggest challenge on grass, which is Wimbledon.”
The Russian made a stunning comeback after being knocked out in the first round of the Halle Open when she lost to the host, Jan Lennard Struff. He dropped just one set en route to winning the title at the Mallorca Championships by beating Corentin Moutet, Casper Ruud and Pablo Carreno Busta en route to the final.
The world number 2 will get a chance to avenge the loss to Lennard Struff when the two players meet in the first round of Wimbledon this season.
The first seed used solid returns to neutralize Querrey’s powerful serve. The American shot 65 aces en route to the final at an average of 21 aces per game. But he was unable to find the same game against the first seed.
“I felt from the baseline area, I was in control. I won almost all the points from the baseline area, so, I feel the most important thing is a strong return,” added Medvedev.
“He also had a double foul in crucial moments, but that was also because I put him under a lot of pressure. So he felt he might have to do more than usual.”
The Russian came to an even higher level in the second set, winning 93 percent of points from her first serve. He also did not face a single break point throughout the game and put Querrey under pressure. He sealed the win with his tenth ace in a match that lasted just 62 minutes.
“This win feels great, because I came here hoping to win a few games and I managed to do it. Winning titles always gives you a positive feeling and gives you a lot of confidence,” said Medvedev.
“Wimbledon or not, a title is a title. I’m very happy with my level of play and I played my best match of the tournament.”
Meanwhile, Querrey is hoping to win his first ATP tournament title at the Mallorca Championships this season since winning at Los Cabos in 2017. But now, he is 10-10 in the final and 8-9 in 2021 ahead of Wimbledon.
