Daniil Medvedev vs. Lorenzo Sonego Prediction: Medvedev All Set to Start With a Bang

On Tuesday, January 3, world number seven Daniil Medvedev will face 45th-ranked and Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the first round of the 2023 Adelaide International.

Medvedev had a strong season in 2022 by most players' standards.

Medvedev, though, isn't 'most players'. He had won a Grand Slam prior to 2022 and was rated one in the world in February of the previous season. In 2022, the Russian was anticipated to achieve much more than win two ATP championships and none at the Masters 1000 or Grand Slam level.

And, as if to illustrate that Medvedev had lost his path after reaching the Australian Open 2022 final, he was eliminated in the first round of the ATP Finals three times in a row.

He has dropped to ninth in the world, and with an Australian Open runner-up finish to defend, Medvedev will need to get off to a solid start in Adelaide. Can he beat his 45th-ranked opponent in style?

Sonego achieved a career-high rating of 21st in the world for the second season in a row. And, for the second time, he failed to get into the top 20, finishing the year ranked 45th in the world.

Sonego got his start in 2021 with a championship at Calgiari. Sonego's win at the Metz Open last season lifted him out of the abyss after his previous dismal results had dropped him to 65th in the rankings.

With the Metz performance in September, he climbed to 45th in the world, a position he held until the conclusion of the season despite winning only one of his next six main draw matches.

As a result of being unseeded in the event, Sonego has been pitted against a former world number one. Another reason Sonego will want to return to his best is to offer himself a greater chance of avoiding these early errors.

Medvedev has stated that he is ready to go and has even recognized that he should avoid getting into the bad books of the Australian audiences. He is a huge favourite at 1/7, as expected, but we anticipate Sonego to put up a fight here.