Masters 1000 Rome – finally –
Daniil Medvedev was crowned champion of the Masters 1000 in Rome this Sunday after beating Denmark’s Holger Rune in an hour and 43 minutes (7-5 and 7-5). The Russian tennis player, world No. 3, has managed to break a curse that had haunted him since the beginning of his career as he had never won a tournament on clay. He did it with a few hours less rest than his rival and with the composure often attributed to him in moments of peak tension. This long-awaited rest has allowed him to drop Tsitsipas by the wayside in the semis and minimize Rune’s momentum in the final, without conceding a single set in either game.
This difficult edition of the ATP in Rome was a mixed bag and their final day was no exception. Due to rain, the final started almost two hours late. However, despite the threatening color of the sky, the game could be played without interruptions. The final at the Foro Itálico, the second most prestigious venue of the clay court season after Roland Garros, was an opportunity both tennis players couldn’t pass up as Alcaraz and Djokovic were out of action. For Rune, it could be the most important title of his career after a rocky start to 2023; for Medvedev, the end of his clay curse a few weeks after his visit to Paris.
In a tough first round there were only three breakballs. Medvedev parried the first two balls for Rune in the third game and the third ball for Medvedev was decisive as a set point. The Dane looked more balanced and oozed confidence after eliminating Djokovic, but his rival was on target in the game’s crucial moments. The Russian’s ten winners versus Rune’s five were crucial. Too much for the Nordic, who was born Alcaraz in 2003 and became the youngest finalist in Rome since Nadal in 2006.
Although the shot didn’t seem to affect Rune, it broke Medvedev’s serve in the first game of the second set. But the game opened up and the lead didn’t last long. The world no. 3 showed his tremendous quality to the rest, leveling the second set in game four and although Rune went 5-3 ahead after breaking again and predicted a third set in the Foro Italico, the Russian still had the final prepared thrust.
A fresh break from Medvedev when Rune served to win ended in the moral downfall of Rune, whose body language was already that of a defeated tennis player. And with another crack in the twelfth game, Medvedev escaped the tie-break and ended the game in Rome with little fanfare. Great start to the season for the Russian, a hardcourt specialist looking to broaden his horizons. After overcoming the barrier of his first trophy on the cursed surface, he now aspires to Paris, a date for which all the roosters on the circuit are already sharpening their swords.
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