Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev are likely to keep cruising through the US Open draw because of the gulf between them & the lower-ranked players: Todd Woodbridge
Todd Woodbridge recently highlighted that it has been smooth sailing for Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev so far at the 2021 US Open because of the gulf in quality between them and the lesser-ranked players.
While Djokovic is currently playing his third-round match against Kei Nishikori, Medvedev is already into the fourth round. The Serb suffered a minor blip in his first-round match against Holger Rune, losing the second set in a tiebreaker. But he showed marked improvement to beat Tallon Griekspoor in straight sets in the very next round.
Medvedev, on the other hand, has looked nothing short of unstoppable. He is yet to drop a set and has only conceded 22 games in three matches.
In a recent conversation with Casey Dellacqua, Todd Woodbridge was asked to name the players he thinks have had the "cruisiest draw" so far at the US Open. The Aussie didn't have to think twice before naming Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.
It is pertinent to note that the term 'cruisiest' here does not necessarily mean an easy draw. Instead, it refers to the player who has been able to negotiate their draw without breaking much of a sweat.
"It's Novak and it's Medvedev - top and bottom of the draw. They have cruised through - particularly Medvedev, barely losing games," Woodbridge said.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion in doubles further prophesized that Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev are likely to keep cruising through. Woodbridge believes the absence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal has weakened the draw considerably.
"And it looks like that's going to continue," Woodbridge went on. "Why? There is a bit of a discrepancy with no Roger, with no Rafa."
Woodbridge went on to point out there is a sizeable difference in quality between players ranked in the top 5 and the rest of the field. As such, the Aussie believes the lesser-ranked players have a mountain to climb should they wish to challenge players like Djokovic and Medvedev.
"There is this level difference between the top echelon in that top 10, maybe even that top 5, to where everybody else sits at the moment," Woodbridge said. "So there's a job to do from everybody ranked around 25 through to 100, to get their game up, to be able to be able to push these top seeds in Slams."
With a head-to-head advantage of 17-2, you'd think Novak Djokovic goes through comfortably: Todd Woodbridge
Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori have faced each other 19 times on tour so far, with the Serb leading the head-to-head by a margin of 17-2. They are squaring off for the 20th time in the third round on Saturday.
Nishikori last beat the Serb in 2014, and that match was incidentally also at the US Open.
When asked if he was looking forward to a particular match on Saturday, Todd Woodbridge revealed he was keen to see Djokovic take on Nishikori. But the Aussie admitted that the chances for an upset were slim to none.
"Well I'm looking forward to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic takes on Kei Nishikori," Woodbridge said. "The last time Nishikori beat him was 2014, in the semifinals of the US Open. But head-to-head, 17-2, you'd think Novak goes through comfortably."