Still plenty to play for in group Ilie Nastase, although the scenarios where Jannik Sinner doesn’t make the semifinals or Alex de Minaur does are mostly theoretical. Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz are both sitting at a 1-1 record, but won’t be facing each other on Thursday. Can Medvedev step up and overcome his recent poor history against Sinner? Will Fritz be rewarded for performing well so far and seal his semifinal spot?
ATP Finals Day 5 Predictions
Taylor Fritz vs Alex de Minaur
Head-to-head: de Minaur 6-3
It was a great push to make the ATP Finals from Alex de Minaur, especially when the hip injury left him struggling with his health for a while. He kept gathering points anyway and made it, but is a bit too outmatched in this group. Now he’ll be trying to go out with a bang and he’s got a strong record against Taylor Fritz. Surprisingly strong as the American has taken his game to a dimension that doesn’t seem accessible for de Minaur. Looking at their performances so far, this could be the match where the rivalry starts shifting a bit. Fritz is performing very well on this court like in the 2022 edition.
Prediction: Fritz in 2
Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev
Head-to-head: 7-7
It’s fascinating how this rivalry is this lopsided and yet this close at the same time. Daniil Medvedev won the first six meetings and then lost seven of the next eight. Once upon a time, it was Jannik Sinner who had to come up with something special to beat the Russian, incorporating dropshots and serve-and-volleying to finally pull it off in Beijing last year. The dynamics have shifted completely since. Now it’s Medvedev who has to force the issue with his regular level being nowhere near enough. It usually leads to him overpressing and making uncharacteristic backhand errors. And especially now that he’s not serving as well with the shoulder injury, he’s even more lost for answers in the matchup.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
