Well, Old King Noel's plan to manage the pressure is going OK if this thread is anything to go by. Such a merry old soul he was having a bit of a trot around Shanghai and packing up before the SF... He may well enter the AO as second favourite, which would be a huge achievement after winning AO19 and WB19 plus a whole bunch of BO3 tournies and maybe even finishing 2019 as #1 too.
I think you'll find some Fed fans going to Med. For starters, he is the one most likely to stop some of the Fedfans' most hated: Rot (ABZ) and Noel. I'm a bit torn because I'd prefer to see Noel overtake Fed rather than the Nadal limp over the line with another FO. But I prefer Med's game and personality to all the "stable" alternatives in the top 30. So if Med shuts down Noel and leaves the Rusty Peak Just Injured Withdrawn Subdued and Hitched Golden Bull to limp to 21 or beyond, I guess I'll just have to stomach it.
One of the reasons Med is winning so much is that he is misunderstood. He can push and does it a lot but Med's racquet work is actually some of the most skilful. He hits the flattest, plays a huge number of shots per match while making virtually zero errors - and he's winning everything in sight. It's not the low UE count that matters here, it's his low FE count (that I don't have access to anyway). He pulls off all sorts of amazing shots from defensive and off-balance positions, all touch and improvised, point after point.
He has very few, if any, patterns to expose, there are no "weapons" to dismantle. He adjusts a lot based on the last ten points or so and is constantly recalculating based on his opponent's movement and behaviour over the last few points. He is the greatest junkballer I've ever seen, and by some margin over the likes of Simon and (when they're in the mood) Fed, Novak and Kyrgios. You can't dismantle the ATP hitting flat unless you have simply immense skills and concentration.
Seeing opponents crumble before your very eyes is the most satisfying experience in sport and whether it's because you're blasting them off the court or junk balling them into extinction, it doesn't matter. I actually prefer to watch opponents slowly implode, especially botting opponents like Zedrot.
Sissy may have some skills but they're behind Med, plus he's a ******, so I'll take Med thanks. And if it was up to me, The Gold Muncher Ab Cruncher Rot's f***ing time will never be now.