Daniil Medvedev is on a roll. He came to Dubai fresh from two tournament wins, including the Qatar Open last week. The confidence was apparent in his swagger as the Russian third seed despatched Italian qualifier Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-2 in 91 minutes in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship on Tuesday.
The World No. 7 took a while to get used to the conditions and a new opponent but soon hit his stride, blasting away winners. Arnaldi fought gamely, and several of his forehands down the line caught Medvedev flatfooted. But the World No. 111 could do little, especially in the second set as the Russian stepped on the gas and motored to his 10th win in a row.
“I’m just really happy to be on a streak right now. Streaks always end. I will try to extend mine as long as I can. [I am] feeling great. Hopefully can do some good things here in Dubai, Medvedev said at the post-match press conference.
Two titles in two weeks are great for his confidence, Medvedev said. It feels great because confidence is very important in tennis. We all know it. I think every tennis player has different approaches to confidence.
“For me, it’s more important to have the confidence kind of like in the moment than, for example, remembering I played good there last year. So, for me, it’s important in the moment. Right now, I feel great. Even today, I felt like I was far from my best tennis, but I managed to close it out kind of in two sets. That always helps, said the Russian, who returned to the Dubai event after four years.
