In review: Daniil Medvedev's sensational ATP Finals triumph

Every tennis player needs their breakthrough moment, and Daniil Medvedev’s may just have come at the ATP Finals back in November. After some fine displays over the course of the week, the Russian secured the title by beating Dominic Thiem in the final at London’s 02 Arena. In a sport that has been dominated for many years by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, it was a huge achievement for Medvedev to get his hands on a big title.

As a result, the Daniil Medvedev odds on winning the upcoming Australian Open have shortened. The Russian goes to Melbourne with the wind in his sail, touted as perhaps the next man to win his first Grand Slam title, after Thiem did so at the US Open last year. Medvedev has been growing as a player over the last couple of years, and this culminated in the ATP Finals victory in November.

Given that he is now a contender to win the Australian Open, let’s remind ourselves of how he secured that memorable ATP Finals triumph.

Group stage

The group stage proved to be a breeze for Medvedev, as he secured straight-sets victories in all three of his matches. The most impressive of these was a 6-3, 6-3 win over Novak Djokovic, which proved that Medvedev certainly hadn’t come to London to just make up the numbers. It was a fine display to down the World Number 1, and this win undoubtedly gave the Russian the belief that he could win the tournament.

His other victories in the group phase came against Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman, with Medvedev winning with considerable ease. From the opening matches it was clear that he was a man in form and was going to take some stopping.

Semi-final

While Medvedev’s passage through the group stage was as simple as could be, the semi-final proved to be a real test of his mettle. Rafael Nadal was his opponent, the Spaniard having only managed a second-place finish in the other group.

Nadal took the first set 6-3, and it was looking as though Medvedev had met his match, but the Russian demonstrated his battling qualities to win a tense second-set tiebreak, before winning the third set 6-3 to seal his passage through to the final and leave Nadal licking his wounds.

Final

Awaiting Medvedev in the final was Dominic Thiem, who had defeated Novak Djokovic in the other semi-final to earn his place in the showpiece match. Thiem had recently won his maiden Grand Slam at the US Open and was full of confidence, but the belief gained by Medvedev through his dominant group stage displays and his battling semi-final victory meant he was more than a match for the Austrian.

In the end, the final followed an almost identical pattern to Medvedev’s semi-final. Thiem seized the early initiative and claimed the first set 6-3, but once again the Russian battled back to win the second set on a tiebreak, before winning the third set 6-4 to get his hands on the title. It was an emotional triumph for the 24-year-old, and proof that he could emerge victorious from an incredibly strong field of contenders.

With the Australian Open just around the corner, Medvedev must summon that same belief once again as he seeks to get his hands on that first Grand Slam title. He has proved to himself that he can get the better of the big boys, now he must go out and grasp the opportunity with both hands.