Medvedev v Rublev: Head to head, stats, everything you need to know – updated after 2023 ATP Finals match

All you need to know about the rivalry between Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev ATP 500 – Dubai Tennis Championships – The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – March 4, 2023 Russia’s Daniil Medvedev poses with trophy after winning his final match against Russia’s Andrey Rublev (AI/Reuters/Panoramic)

What is the head to head between Medvedev and Rublev?

Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev have now played each other nine times on tour. Strangely, every single one of their meetings has been on hard court. Medvedev won their first four meetings, Rublev began to make inroads into the head-to-head record, before Medvedev again gained ascendance, winning the last three matches. As of November 14, 2023, Medvedev leads 7-2.

Every single one of their matches on tour has been in a quarter-final or later – except for their clashes at the 2022 and 2023 Nitto ATP Finals, when they met at the round-robin stage.

Here is a complete list of their matches on tour so far (most recent first):

  • 2023 Nitto ATP Finals: Medvedev won 6-4, 6-2
  • 2023 US Open QF Medvedev won 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
  • 2023 Dubai F: Medvedev won 6-2, 6-2
  • 2022 Nitto ATP Finals RR: Rublev won 6-7 (7), 6-3, 7-6 (7)
  • 2021 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati, SF: Rublev won 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
  • 2021 Australian Open, QF: Medvedev won 7-5, 6-3, 6-2
  • 2020 US Open, QF: Medvedev won 7-6 (6), 6-3, 7-6 (5)
  • 2019 St Petersburg, QF: Medvedev won 6-4, 7-5
  • 2019 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati, QF: Medvedev won 6-2, 6-3

How many titles do they have? How do their statistics compare?

Medvedev is a former world No 1. He has won 20 career singles titles, including one Grand Slam (the US Open). As of November 7, 2023, he has won 71.2% of his tour-level matches across his career, with a win-loss record of 331-134. (on clay 51.9%, on grass 66.7%, on hard 74.9%).

Rublev’s career-high ranking is world No 5. He has won 14 titles on tour, but no Grand Slams. As of November 7, 2023, he has won 65.3% of his matches (win-loss record 292-155; he’s 66.3% on clay, 70.4% on grass, 64.6% on hard).

Did they meet in juniors?

They most certainly did play each other in juniors, and those matches sound like quite the spectacle.

“Both of us were crazy on court, destroying the racquets, complaining,” Rublev has said previously. “What I remember from him, he was always one of the biggest fighter that I ever saw in my life since he was, I don’t know, seven years old, he could play lobs maybe hours just to win.”

He added after the 2023 Dubai final: “Tennis-wise, is like I was saying on court, I have such a big respect for him because since he was a kid he was always fighter. No matter what, he could have only one racquet in his bag, his racquet could be broken, and he would still fight till the last point. He will play lobs for 20 minutes just to still fight and win the match. So many kids at our age, as soon as they see lob, they were tanking the matches. He was the one, doesn’t matter, I have broken racquet, only one racquet, broken shoes, whatever, he will be there, he will fight. He’s still the same.”

They have also played each other on the Challenger tour. Medvedev won their round of 16 clash in Hungary back in 2016, 6-3, 6-2.

Are Medvedev and Rublev friends?

Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev get on very well and are old friends. Rublev said after the 2023 Dubai final: “We have great connection outside the court. We understand each other really well. We have very easy friendship. We can laugh at stupid things. That’s what makes it even more easy, comfortable. If we play some events together and we have to spend time together, I don’t know, we have always nice time.”

Rublev is godfather to Medvedev’s daughter. Medvedev explained in September 2023: “We are very close. He’s very kind. He’s kind of a little bit into – how we can call it – he’s religious, so that’s important to be a godfather. So it was kind of an easy decision.”

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