Dmitry Tursunov compares Daniil Medvedev to former world chess champion Jose Raul Capablanca, says he "masters the geometry of the court"
In a recent interview with Vedomostisport, former World No. 20 Dmitry Tursunov compared Daniil Medvedev to former chess champion Jose Raul Capablanca. Tursunov claimed that the Russian performs exceptionally well on the court because "he knows how to make the right choices at the right time."
Daniil Medvedev enjoyed a terrific season in 2021. The Russian won four titles on the ATP tour this year, including his maiden Grand Slam at the US Open 2021. His remarkable accomplishments on the court helped him finish the year at a career-high ranking of World No. 2. He also finished the year with the highest number of wins on the ATP tour, at 63.
The 2021 season of ATP Top 4: Daniil Medvedev
🏆 4 titles
🏆 1 Grand Slam (US Open)
🏆 Davis Cup
▪️ 3 finals
▪️ 62 wins - 13 defeats (83% of wins)
▪️ World Number 2 https://t.co/fVrAzDYtQL
In the interview, Dmitry Tursunov, who is currently the head coach of Anett Kontaveit, highlighted that despite not having the "best technique," Medvedev is a "pure nugget" who "masters the geometry of the court."
"Daniil Medvedev is a pure nugget. No specialist can train a player by modeling him on Daniil's game. He doesn't have the best technique, but he feels the game wonderfully and masters the geometry of the court," said Tursunov.
Tursunov even drew parallels between Medvedev and chess legend Jose Raul Capablanca.Tursunov feels that just like the chess icon, Medvedev's "gift" is his great vision, which allows him to read his opponents.
The third World Champion, Jose Raul Capablanca, was born in Havana, Cuba, on this day in 1888. He ascended to the throne by defeating his predecesso r Emanuel Lasker in 1921 and held the title until 1927, when he lost it to Alexander Alekhine. #onthisday https://t.co/IYUEqlVNnz
"He knows how to make the right choices at the right times to come out brilliantly in all situations. He is like the chess player (José Raúl) Capablanca, he has a gift for seeing the game and it is impossible to reproduce what he does," added the Russian coach.
A recap of Daniil Medvedev's astounding 2021 tennis season
2021 proved to be one of the best years for Daniil Medvedev. Apart from winning a number of individual titles, the World No. 2 player also led Russia to glory at the ATP Cup and Davis Cup 2021.
Medvedev got off to a great start in the 2021 tennis season as he reached the finals of the Australian Open. The Russian produced some fine performances in Melbourne before losing to Novak Djokovic in the final.
He then won the Open 13 title in Marseille before emerging victorious at the Mallorca Open 2021. Even though Medvedev failed to win a title on clay this year, he improved his performance on the surface by reaching the quarter-final of the French Open 2021.
Once again, Medvedev's impressive form on hard courts continued as he won the National Bank Open 2021 and then got his hands on his first Major at the US Open 2021. He also ended up as the runner-up at both the Rolex Paris Masters and ATP Finals 2021.
US OPEN CHAMPION 🎾
Daniil Medvedev defeats Novak Djokovic in straight sets to take home the men's singles title 🏆 https://t.co/Z7V7UiangW
After enjoying a splendid season in 2021, Daniil Medvedev will be eyeing his second Grand Slam title at the 2022 Australian Open.
Also Read: Watch: Daniil Medvedev kicks off his training ahead of the 2022 season