I agree to an extent and almost added more about Zverev’s top-end power allowing him to take the match out of Novak’s hands somewhat, at least in comparison to Medvedev.
But on the other hand, Medvedev is a much, much smarter player. He can’t blow Novak off the court from the ground, but he’s one of the few guys with both the movement and the tactical acumen required to outmaneuver him with any kind of consistency. His serve is still a big one and will still win him free points – not as lethal as Zverev’s, but probably more reliable. Fewer patches where he can‘t get a first serve in, and not as many double faults or 70 mph second serves. And he’s even more consistent on return. He has his weapons.
Zverev in full flight, of course, is a sight to behold – easily the best of the current crop of Next Genners, in my opinion – but the problem is he struggles to find that form with any consistency and is especially bad at maintaining it in the biggest, tightest moments at the business end of a grand slam (as we saw again last night). In a vacuum, peaking for just one match, yeah, I think Zverev’s the tougher match-up, but in the real-world up and down of the tour, Med’s going to more reliably frustrate and beat Novak, I think (though not on Sunday of course
).
Edit: But yeah, as far as getting that one big win at a slam, Zverev might be a bit likelier provided he can redline for longer than he managed to last night. We’ll see on Sunday how things shake out.