DUBAI, February 26, 2024 (Press Release)
The recent Australian Open will undoubtedly be front of mind for two tennis protagonists on Tuesday – albeit for very different reasons – as the action at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships goes up a gear with some of the world’s top-ranked players taking to the courts at Dubai Tennis Stadium.
World No. 4 Daniil Medvedev makes his first appearance since succumbing to Italian Jannik Sinner in the men’s singles final in Melbourne, while veteran Indian Rohan Bopanna returns to action alongside playing partner Matthew Ebden following the duo’s impressive win in the Men’s Doubles tournament at Australia’s famous Rod Laver Arena.
With a few weeks having past since Medvedev’s surprise defeat in what was his fifth defeat from six Grand Slam finals, the 28-year-old insists he has not been ruminating over the loss. “To be honest, to ‘get over’ it was quite easy,” said a rested Medvedev, emphasising his readiness to move forward. “As I said after the match, I felt like it would be easy because I played a great tournament, I played a good final.”
In the Melbourne championship match, Medvedev threw away a two-set lead to lose 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 3-6 and hand Sinner a maiden Slam crown. After the defeat, the 2021 US Open winner skipped the tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Doha to focus on his recovery. “I was really looking forward to playing in Doha normally; that was the plan,” he said. “Then I decided with my team if we want to have a good season, a healthy season, we needed to skip.”
Medvedev is eager to turn the page and focus on his upcoming match against Alexander Shevchenko. They both locked horns in the Madrid Open fourth round last year, where Medvedev edged out his Russian compatriot 4-6, 6-1, 7-5. With a refreshed mindset and a solid game, he aims to make a strong comeback in Dubai, where he is defending champion.
Meanwhile, veteran Bopanna is ready to channel his winning energy from Melbourne into his performances in Dubai when he faces a familiar opponent in Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, his former partner with whom he clinched victory in Dubai a decade ago. This time, with Bopanna continuing with Ebden, Qureshi has teamed up with Skander Mansouri of Tunisia, setting the stage for an intriguing showdown.
Tuesday will also see last week’s Qatar Open finalist, the 18-year-old sensation Jakub Mensik, take on Dubai resident Borna Coric, who is currently ranked 31. In Doha, Czech Mensik lost to another Dubai resident in Karen Khachanov and will be hoping to avoid making it a habit. Khachanov, on the other hand, will be challenging Lucky Loser Luca van Assche on Tuesday after Alexei Popyrin – the Australian former Dubai resident who was once a ballboy at the Dubai tournament – was forced to withdraw with an abdominal strain.
Tuesday will also see an all-French match-up as 37-year-old wildcard Gael Monfils, who suffered a loss in the semifinal in Doha, goes against compatriot Ugo Humbert. They both faced off at the Qatar Open last week with Monfils taking the win.
Interestingly, India’s No. 1-ranked player Sumit Nagal will also be in action on Tuesday as he prepares to face Italian Lorenzo Sonego, while Lorenzo Musetti will go up against qualifier Arthur Cazaux, who is featuring in the main draw of an ATP 500 tournament for the first time after refusing to give up a single set during qualifying.
