How Medvedev’s success is changing the serve-return dynamic – Eye of the Coach #40

Daniil Medvedev‘s win over Novak Djokovic at the US Open gave him his first major title, reward for all the work he’s been doing over the years to try to catch up to the big three.

His serve has been integral to his success but it’s also his return, and more specifically, the way he returns, from a deep position but with a hard, flat hit, that helped him over the line.

In the latest episode of “Eye of the Coach”, Patrick Mouratoglou discusses how Medvedev’s style of returning – something also copied by Alexander Zverev – has proved to be a game-changer, taking away many of the traditional advantages of the server.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF “THE EYE OF THE COACH” WITH PATRICK MOURATOGLOU

• How Medvedev and Zverev have been the players of the summer because of their returns (around 0;30)
• How the players standing so far back on return makes life difficult for the server (around 0:45)
• How Medvedev’s style takes away the biggest asset from his opponents (around 1:00)
• The percentage of returns Medvedev and Zverev make is a big factor in their success (around 1.17)
• How Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas had most returns in play at Roland-Garros (around 1.40)
• Rafael Nadal started the trend, but Medvedev and Zverev hit their returns flatter (around 2.00)
• The new style is likely to lead more players to try to copy it in future, making it a game-changer (around 2.20)