Rome Men's Final Preview: Daniil Medvedev vs. Holger Rune

HIGHLIGHTS: Medvedev tops Tsitsipas in Rome semis

Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune will bring very different game styles to this final.

Medvedev is a steady “massage artist,” as Tennis Channel analyst Jim Courier puts it, making his shots, playing his defense, stretching his long body, building his points, biding his time. He can hit a full-throttle winner when he wants, but mostly he’s content to move the ball around and let his opponent take the risks.

Rune has a much jumpier, more muscular, more explosive game. He leaps around the court, attacks the first chance he can get, and creates a variety of angles with his ground strokes. His forehand has heavy spin, but his backhand may be the more lethal weapon. If Medvedev plays in patterns, Rune breaks them.

The Russian and the Dane have a few things in common. Each has an excellent and under-appreciated serve. Each likes to mix in drop shots from the backhand side on clay. And when they fall behind, each (a) tends to go a little bonkers, and (b) isn’t above using gamesmanship to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm. On Saturday, Rune called for a trainer when he was down a set and a break to Casper Ruud, while Medvedev convinced chair umpire Mo Lahyani to pause his match after his opponent, Stefanos Tsitsipas, broke him to make it 4-4 in the first set.

Which means we’re probably in store for some drama, and possible hijinks, because one of these two is guaranteed to fall behind at some point. They’ve played once before, a few weeks ago in Monte Carlo, and Rune won in straight sets. This one should be more competitive, because both of these guys detest losing, and they both want to win their first clay-court Masters 1000 title. Whoever does win will also be riding a little higher heading to Paris. Winner: Medvedev