Rotterdam Open: Medvedev vs Davidovich Fokina Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Rotterdam Open as Daniil Medvedev takes on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.

Daniil Medvedev has a mountain to climb to rejoin the world’s Top 10. The Russian former world No. 1 will come up against the flamboyant Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Who will prevail and move into the second round of the Rotterdam Open?

Daniil Medvedev has suffered a big fall from grace. Six months ago, he was at the summit of men’s tennis. But fast forward to 2023, and the Russian has dropped outside the world’s top 10 for the first time since July 2019. That was heavily impacted by his straight-sets dismissal at the hands of Sebastian Korda in the third round of the Australian Open. He has lost in the first round of the Rotterdam Open in each of his last two visits. Can he turn his season and ranking around this week?

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will surely be fancying the prospect of playing a wounded Daniil Medvedev at the Rotterdam Open. But on current form, he doesn’t look like a player who can take advantage of the situation. Davidovich Fokina is 4-3 in 2023, but he hasn’t defeated a Top 30 player this season. Last week he lost to Quentin Halys in the Round of 16 in Montpellier.

Daniil Medvedev leads Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 1-0, winning their second-round match at the Madrid Open in 2021 in three sets. The Russian will be looking to arrest his recent slump in ranking by going deep at the Rotterdam Open and potentially winning his first ATP title of the season. Davidovich Fokina will huff and puff, but he is unlikely to be winning most of the duels from the baseline. Medvedev should put up an emphatic response to his disappointing Aussie Open campaign.