Revitalized Medvedev Secures First Trophy in Over Two Years
19 of the Russian's twenty-one titles have been earned on hardcourt
A revitalized the Russian player won his maiden championship for 882 days with success over Frenchman Moutet in the Almaty Open championship match.
The athlete, a ex- number one, has experienced a challenging period, winning just a single victory at the big events and experiencing a meltdown at the New York tournament.
Medvedev's inconsistency on the professional circuit - and struggles with his service game in especial - caused him exiting of the top ten and ultimately separating with long-term mentor Gilles Cervara.
Presently working with Johansson and his other coach, Medvedev has steadily improved in the last few weeks - culminating in a tightly fought 7-5 4-6 6-3 triumph over Frenchman Moutet.
This marks Medvedev's initial trophy since the Italian tournament and first on a hardcourt since March of the previous year.
Success also signifies Medvedev has won twenty-one championships at twenty-one different competitions.
"It's the first time I'm at a competition with my two daughters simultaneously, so to win a championship is particularly special," stated tennis professional the champion.
"This title is in honour of my child Victoria, because the first title I got when my first daughter Alisa was born was for her."
Medvedev, the former major winner, had been defeated in his last six title deciders, featuring in Halle previously this season.
Medvedev's retrieving strategy and recurring outbursts on the tennis court had led commentators to doubt if his capacity to play at the top level was over.
However the athlete has made changes in the last few weeks, striving to approach the net and perform positively, backed up by an enhanced service.
Medvedev recovered from a deficit in the opening set against the challenging Moutet, winning 4 of the last five points to gain the advantage.
The pair swapped break points in the second set before the challenger, attempting for his initial ATP Tour championship, gained dominance to push for a decider.
Moutet rescued four initial break points in a close final set before Medvedev broke to fifteen to secure the win.
Appropriately, Medvedev secured victory with a point at the net, with Moutet incapable to handle a return after over two and a half hours.
