Next-Gen Comes Though – Medvedev wins 1st ATP Finals title

This past week has seen a select few next gen players take great strides into overtaking the big 3 at the O2 in London.

Both Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem beat Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal, twice.

Thiem beat Nadal in the group stages and Djokovic in the semi-final, while Medvedev beat Djokovic in the group stage, and Nadal in the semi-final.

Medvedev lost the opening set to Thiem before clawing his way back via tiebreak to clinch the second, before outplaying the Austrian in the third to take home the final trophy of 2020.

Medvedev had quite the year on tour, winning the Paris Masters, reaching the semi-final at the ATP Cup, and now, an ATP Finals victory.

Thiem, who met Medvedev in the final, had won the US Open this year, defeating Medvedev in the semi-final, something the Russian surely remembered.

Having beaten the world’s best (bar Federer, who skipped due to injury), Medvedev will move into 2021 as the most likely next gen player to take a grand slam from the heralded Big 3.