The opening day at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals went the way most people expected, with Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner both bagging victories to kick start their bid to reach the knockout stages.
Fritz was the first on court in the afternoon session, and he took full advantage of a Medvedev meltdown to win 6-4 6-3 in 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Medvedev has no business being on the court in recent weeks, as his game has dropped off significantly in recent months. It could be a shoulder issue, not liking the balls, or something else. Who knows, but he’s not enjoying being on the court.
In the evening session, Jannik Sinner took on Alex de Minaur, coming through a fairly uneventful match 6-3 6-4 in 1 hour and 25 minutes to share the top spot in Ille Nastase group.
Recap, stats and highlights below.
Nitto ATP Finals 2024 Day 1 Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor Fritz (5) | Daniil Medvedev (4) | 6-4 6-3 |
| Jannik Sinner (1) | Alex de Minaur (7) | 6-3 6-4 |
Fritz Feasts on Medvedev’s Meltdown
My pick for one of the two to make it out of Group Ilie Nastase, Taylor Fritz, made a rock-solid start to his ATP finals campaign, brushing aside Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-3 in 1 hour and 20 minutes.
The American has had a stellar season, while Medvedev has struggled since early Spring. His error-strewn performance has summed up the last few months for him on tour, and you get the sense the off-season can’t come quick enough.
Both guys played rather cagily in the opening few games, and there wasn’t a single break point on offer in the first nine games.
However, when serving at 5-4, 30-15, Medvedev hit three double faults in a row to drop the set. That caused a meltdown, and he smashed his racket on the ground during the change of ends, which resulted in a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.Â
In the second, Medvedev became more aggressive from the baseline and fashioned break points in Fritz’s first two service games, but he couldn’t take advantage.
Fritz then broke for a 4-2 lead after coming out on top in a 21-shot rally, prompting yet another Medvedev meltdown.
The 2020 ATP Finals winner was hit with a point penalty for throwing his racket and then deliberately hitting an on-court microphone. He then argued with the umpire and threatened to retire.
From there, Medvedev was mentally gone as Fritz eased to victory, getting his ATP finals off to the ideal start. He’s in pole position to progress to the knockout stages.
The serve was a big part of it for sure. He’s such a good returner. You can make a lot of first serves, but if they’re not very high quality, he puts so many returns in the court. It was huge for me, I hit a lot of lines, a lot of spots to start out games. I got out of a lot of service games with no pressure. In some of the ones we got tight in, I could either grind through the long rallies or get myself some free points. My first time [at the Nitto ATP Finals], I was the alternate, no one really expected much of me here. So, I was playing with house money, no pressure. This time, I’m fifth, and I really want to make it out of the group stage. I’m putting more expectations on myself to do better. I’m just a batter player, and I’m super happy with how I played today. It’s very easy sometimes when someone’s doing that [Medvedev’s antics] to kind of relax and think that they’re just going to be done, and then you kind of drop your level. I just had to try to tell myself to stay focused. I played a really good five-three game because he was going to he was going to fight for that game. Luckily, I then served a great game (to win). Fritz on his opening win.
Match Stats
| Â | Daniil Medvedev | Taylor Fritz |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 8 | 9 |
| Double Faults | 8 | 0 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 63% | 68% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 79% (30/38) | 85% (33/39) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 27% (6/22) | 56% (10/18) |
| Break Points Saved | 50% (2/4) | 100% (3/3) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 15% (6/39) | 21% (8/38) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 44% (8/18) | 73% (16/22) |
| Break Points Converted | 0% (0/3) | 50% (2/4) |
| Winners | 17 | 21 |
| Unforced Errors | 24 | 19 |
| Net Points Won | 63% (5/8) | 45% (5/11) |
| Service Points Won | 60% (36/60) | 75% (43/57) |
| Return Points Won | 25% (14/57) | 40% (24/60) |
| Total Points Won | 43% (50/117) | 57% (67/117) |
| Service Games Won | 78% (7/9) | 100% (10/10) |
| Return Games Won | 0% (0/10) | 22% (2/9) |
| Total Games Won | 37% (7/19) | 63% (12/19) |
Highlights
Sinner Slips Past De Minaur in Straightforward Victory
Jannik Sinner also got his 2024 ATP finals off to a solid start, virtually mirroring the Fritz match. Like the 5th seed, he won 12 games and lost seven en route to his 6-3 6-4 win against Alex de Minaur.
The Italian is the betting favourite for the title in Turin, but he was the first to drop serve in the third game.
However, De Minaur could not consolidate, and a run of four straight games put Sinner up 5-2 before he took the set 6-3.
Set two saw Sinner break decisively in the fifth game, with only a sudden and unexpected medical emergency in the crowd briefly halting his charge as he maintained his advantage through to the finish line.
De Minaur could only win four return points in the set as he struggled to make much of an impression against the heavier ball striking of Sinner, who now leads the Aussie 8-0 in the H2H.
Considering [how long since I last played], I’m very happy. I started off with some unforced errors. He was playing great in the beginning of the match, so I just tried to stay there mentally, knowing that hopefully at some point my tennis would arrive. It arrived quite erly, and I started to return very well. My serve, for sure I have to improve if I want to [win] the next match. Against Taylor [Fritz] for example, today he played really well. Let’s see, but today I’m very pleased about the win and hopefully this can give me confidence for the next one. Sinner on his win.
Match Stats
| Â | Jannik Sinner | Alex de Minaur |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 8 | 3 |
| Double Faults | 1 | 2 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 64% | 0.65 |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 81% (26/32) | 67% (24/36) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 78% (14/18) | 37% (7/19) |
| Break Points Saved | 0% (0/1) | 57% (4/7) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 33% (12/36) | 19% (6/32) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 63% (12/19) | 22% (4/18) |
| Break Points Converted | 43% (3/7) | 100% (1/1) |
| Winners | 18 | 7 |
| Unforced Errors | 24 | 28 |
| Net Points Won | 86% (12/14) | 47% (7/15) |
| Service Points Won | 80% (39/49) | 56% (31/55) |
| Return Points Won | 44% (24/55) | 20% (10/49) |
| Total Points Won | 61% (63/104) | 39% (41/104) |
| Service Games Won | 90% (9/10) | 67% (6/9) |
| Return Games Won | 33% (3/9) | 10% (1/10) |
| Total Games Won | 63% (12/19) | 37% (7/19) |
Highlights
Press Conferences
ATP Finals 2024 Day 2 Schedule
Monday 11th November:
- 14:00: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Casper Ruud
- 20:30: Alexander Zverev vs. Andrey Rublev