One of the craziest statistics in tennis has come to an end.
Daniil Medvedev had won 22 ATP titles without winning the same tournament twice. Finally, the 30-year-old Russian won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for the second time in his career on Saturday. He previously lifted the trophy in 2023.
This time Medvedev did it without hitting a single ball in the final. World No. 11 received a walkover from Tallon Griekspoor – a rare development after the Dutchman suffered a hamstring injury in the semis against Andrey Rublev.
“That’s what’s crazy about it,” said Medvedev, winning the event for the second time. “I’ve never done it in any city in the world, and the first time I do it, it’s a trip…. We knew before the start of the week, the way I trained, I wasn’t going to miss football. We knew it was going to be a good week.”
“I was better, that’s true,” cried Griekspoor. “Unfortunately I injured myself during the semi-finals, I went to the hospital this morning and got a couple of scans that showed something serious that kept me on the court tonight and will keep me out of court for the next few weeks.”
