A rejuvenated Daniil Medvedev recorded his first win of the 2024 ATP Finals after beating Alex de Minaur in the Ilie Nastase Group on Tuesday.
The Russian fourth seed lost his opening game of the season-ending tournament against Taylor Fritz on Sunday but brushed aside De Minaur 6-2, 6-4, leaving the Australian's hopes of reaching the semi-finals all but over.
Medvedev, who was champion in 2020 when he defeated Dominic Thiem in the final, did not face a single break point and broke De Minaur's serve three times at the Inalpi Arena.
The second set was more evenly contested but Medvedev came alive in a crucial ninth game to break serve before going on to seal a 78-minute victory and will take on world No 1 Jannik Sinner in his final group game.
The Italian, who beat tournament debutant De Minaur in his opener, faces Taylor Fritz in Tuesday's late match which is a repeat of the US Open final won by Sinner in September.
Medvedev's tennis and attitude on Tuesday was in stark contrast to Sunday when he looked distracted and disinterested while also earning a penalty point for smashing a courtside microphone.
This time he was fully focused on the job in hand as he made only 10 unforced errors and conceded only nine points on his serve as he extended his record over De Minaur to 7-3.
“I went into this match blocking the noise, even from myself,” said Medvedev, who is making his sixth consecutive appearance at the ATP Finals. “No tantrums. Just block the noise. I really didn’t care what was happening on the court, I just tried to play, and it was a good feeling. Sometimes it’s good to block it [the noise], and I did that well today.
“The more popular you become, the more fans you get, the more haters you get, the more attention you get. Sometimes even the good noise can make you off balance.
“You win everything and people say you’re a god. You lose two matches and people say 'Your career is finished.' Sometimes it’s good to just block it.
“After the last match, I was too tired mentally to fight the way I usually do. [So,] I went into the match [today] just trying to hit some shots, even thinking about next year. What is going to work well today and what’s not. It worked well, so I’m OK with it.”
Meanwhile, reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz's participation in the tournament has been cast into doubt after he pulled out of practice due to illness.
His coach Juan Carlos Ferrera told Spanish media the 21-year-old cut short his session after just five minutes as a chest complaint was making breathing difficult.
Alcaraz is due to play Andrey Rublev on Wednesday having lost to Casper Ruud in his opening match where the four-time Grand Slam winner was clearly struggling having made 34 unforced errors.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
UAE squad v Australia
Rohan Mustafa (C), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Fahad Nawaz, Amjed Gul, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Muhammad Naveed, Amir Hayat, Ghulam Shabir (WK), Qadeer Ahmed, Tahir Latif, Zahoor Khan
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
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