Jannik Sinner noticed what Daniil Medvedev was struggling with during their Shanghai Masters quarter-final

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Jannik Sinner admitted he spotted an issue Daniil Medvedev was facing during their Shanghai Masters quarter-final.

The world number one made quick work of Russia’s Daniil Medvedev to level their head-to-head series at seven wins each.

Having won those seven in their last eight meetings, Jannik Sinner is quickly becoming a nightmare opponent for Medvedev, with their US Open quarter-final also falling the Italian’s way.

Moving to his 63rd win of the year, Sinner was not in the mood to hang around, especially with a potential rematch against Carlos Alcaraz coming next.

Mid-way through the second set, Medvedev received treatment on his shoulder from the physio, an ailment that Sinner picked up on throughout the match.

Jannik Sinner says what shot he spotted Daniil Medvedev struggled with

It ended up being a bit of a Sinner masterclass in the end, with the first set breezing past 6-1, before Medvedev made a better go of the second, losing 6-4.

With this win his seventh in the last eight against the Russian, the world number one’s quest to add to his six titles this year continues.

“Very happy with how I handled today and this match. I felt like he had a bit of shoulder pain, he couldn’t hit the forehand as well as he would like to and wish to,” Sinner noticed.

Adding a class touch to his assessment of the match, he sent his opponent a message. “Hopefully he can recover as fast as possible but from my side it was a great match, great battle,” Sinner said.

With revenge over Alcaraz necessary, Sinner is closing in on 70 wins for the year in what could go down as one of the sport’s most dominant seasons.

Daniil Medvedev urgently needs to bridge the gap to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Sinner’s power and consistency combined with Alcaraz’s explosive athleticism and all-court versatility are setting new standards.

Medvedev, known for his counterpunching and tactical intelligence, needs to sharpen his aggressiveness and variety to match their firepower.

Improving his net game and adapting more to faster surfaces will help close the gap and stay slightly more relevant in upcoming majors.

Consistency in handling their intensity and finding ways to disrupt their rhythm will be key for Medvedev to stay competitive at the top.

With his ranking having dropped slightly to fifth, he is nearly always destined for a meeting with Sinner or Alcaraz before the final – something he’s struggled to navigate recently, despite wins at Wimbledon, this year, and the 2023 US Open.

Despite having managed to achieve Grand Slam success – something that can’t be said for the likes of Alexander Zverev – Medvedev is not the type of player to simply concede top spot.