We have reached the final of the inaugural ATP Mallorca Championships. This will be a battle between a rising young star with no grass pedigree and a declining veteran who loves the surface. Who do you think will come out on top, with Wimbledon right around the corner? We share our thoughts on this exciting matchup.
ATP Mallorca Championships Final Prediction
Daniil Medvedev vs Sam Querrey
Medvedev has been a revelation all year, but his rise to the top of the game on all surfaces can’t be overstated. The Russian entered Roland Garros with no decent results on clay in his career. He turned that into an impressive quarterfinal showing, and performed well in falling to the eventual runner-up. Similarly, he entered this grass season with no results on this surface in the past, yet has been consistently impressive in hitting his way to the final here.
Querrey has loved the grass his entire career. His professional winning percentage is a career 55%, but is over 64% on grass. Querrey has reached the quarterfinals or better in three of the last four editions of Wimbledon, and has reached four career ATP Tour finals on this surface. He has only won one–at Queen’s, back in 2010.
Querrey has been declining in recent years. His results across the Tour are not quite the same as early in his career, or in his 2016-17 peak. However, as he’s declined on other surfaces, the American has become more and more impressive on grass. The surface suits his game and he plays freely.
Medvedev is playing very well, and has a brilliant mix of defensive play, counter-punching, and punctuated aggression that is working wonders on grass at the moment. However, Querrey has the power to hit through his defense, and an incredible service game that won’t let the Russian get truly into the match.
Prediction: Querrey in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
