Wimbledon 2021: Daniil Medvedev vs Jan-Lennard Struff preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (2) Daniil Medvedev vs Jan-Lennard Struff

Date: 29 June 2021

Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon

Round: First round (Round of 128)

Venue: London, Great Britain

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Grass

Prize money: £17,066,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

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Daniil Medvedev vs Jan-Lennard Struff preview

Daniil Medvedev, the second seed at Wimbledon 2021, comes into the tournament in better form than he has ever been on grass. The Russian is fresh off a title-winning run in Mallorca, where he defeated Sam Querrey in straight sets in the final to lift his first ATP trophy on grass.

The Russian has already won two titles this year and also reached the final of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. Medvedev has not crossed the third round at Wimbledon so far in his career and will be hoping to go a lot deeper this time around.

A man of all surfaces. Daniil Medvedev has now reached an @atptour final on hard courts, clay, and grass. pic.twitter.com/zXA673lsHS

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 25, 2021

His first-round opponent, Jan-Lennard Struff, has struggled on grass this season. He was ousted in the opening round in Mallorca and the second round at Halle.

However, Struff had a decent run at Roland Garros, where he made the fourth round. The 31-year-old also reached the final at the Bavarian International Championships earlier this year.

Like Medvedev, Struff has gone as far as the third round at Wimbledon, but has not made it to the final 16 so far in his career.

Daniil Medvedev vs Jan-Lennard Struff head-to-head

Medvedev and Struff have met four times on tour before, with the Russian leading the head-to-head 3-1. However, Struff won their only encounter on grass, in Halle earlier this month.

While that 7-6(6), 6-3 win will give the German a boost ahead of their Wimbledon opener, Medvedev will also be confident after his title at Mallorca.

Daniil Medvedev vs Jan-Lennard Struff prediction

Jan-Lennard Struff beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets at Halle 2021

Medvedev's powerful serve stood out in his triumph at Mallorca. The Russian conceded only 10 break points across four matches and was broken just thrice. In the final, Medvedev won an astounding 90% of his points on first serve and 63% on second.

Described by Novak Djokovic as one of the most complete players on tour, Medvedev does not have obvious weaknesses that can be exposed by his opponents. His mentality has only grown stronger over the past few months.

Struff, on his part, is also a very solid player. His recent success over the Russian will certainly give him the confidence he needs to pull off the upset.

While this will be a tough test for Medvedev, he should be able to find a way through.

Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in four sets