Ruusuvuori on Medvedev: 'He tries to make you miserable'

Emil Ruusuvuori is well aware that his second-round match at the Australian Open against third seed Daniil Medvedev will be a major test. Not only is the two-time finalist one of the best players in the world — he is also unique.

“He's one of the toughest players to play against in tennis overall at this moment. He plays different, that's for sure,” Ruusuvuori told ATPTour.com. “Just how flat and low he keeps the ball and makes it so, so difficult to win points or a point. He's just a very, very different player… The task is very, very difficult.”

Medvedev is known for his unorthodox-looking groundstrokes. The 27-year-old’s follow-throughs often look like those of recreational players at the park, but they are devastatingly effective. He hits the ball flat and rarely misses. 

“No one else plays like that. [Alex] de Minaur plays almost as flat but not as slow. And there's some times, a couple of times I played him, especially in the first match, and he started so, so slow,” Ruusuvuori said. “[He] just puts everything back and sees if you're ready, what you're going to do, and sees what happens. And that's where he's so good. That's why he's the number three seed. In practices you don't [get] that, unless you practise with him.”

Ruusuvuori has played Medvedev in two Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, in 2022 in Astana and last year in Rome. The Finnish player won a total of 11 games in four sets.

“Just the pace in the beginning, he makes it tough,” Ruusuvuori said. “Sometimes in his service games there's nothing you can do. It's just like four serves, and then you go to your service games, and you have to fight every point, it could be very long rallies.

“That's his tactic, he tries to just make you miserable in your service games, and then tries to go as fast as he can in his. That can get very tricky if you're not very alert and ready to do what it takes to get your own service games.”

It is the worst of both worlds for Medvedev’s opponents. During his service games, there are times when they can barely put their racquet on his serve. Then he backs up well behind the baseline on return and is able to drag out long, grinding return games.

“I think that's why he is there, where he is and he has won a Grand Slam and that's it,” Ruusuvuori said, before discussing how he prepares for such an opponent with coach Federico Ricci. “You go through it. You have so much data and we use it. It's more for the coach to go through it, and then give me the right ones that he thinks, because otherwise there's just too much. But yeah, give some key information. But mostly, it's just sort of your own level, what you produce. That's the key.

“I think it's better. I mean, he shows me what's needed. But otherwise there's just way too much stuff if you don't really know what to grab. So we've felt that is a bit better that way.”

The 24-year-old recently spent time with another major champion, but one with a completely different gamestyle. He spent some time training in Mallorca during the offseason at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar. It was the third time he had done it and Ruusuvuori practised once with Nadal himself before returning home for three days for Christmas.

⚡️ @RafaelNadal + @EmilRuusuvuori⚡️ pic.twitter.com/mklvr4qgFc

— Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rnadalacademy) December 19, 2023

“It's just different. Even this time he was coming back, but it felt the same. The pace and everything, I don't think there's anyone that doesn't like him,” Ruusuvuori said of Nadal. “Even just when you start from the middle and the intensity and everything. I think that's why he is able to come back. Unfortunately he got injured again, very sad to hear that. But it doesn't get old to practise with him.”

Ruusuvuori will try to use his experience to turn around his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Medvedev Thursday at Melbourne Park.

“It gets you very excited. Of course, it's a much bigger stadium. Usually I've enjoyed those matches,” Ruusuvuori said. “I think we always say that those are the ones that we play for. But it really is. Those are sort of the biggest possible tasks that you can get. It's a challenge you try to overcome, but at the same you try to enjoy it as much as you can.”