“I’m not a huge fan of this surface. I just hope to play good tennis and get as far as possible,” admitted Alexander Zverev, unimpressed by Ohio’s revamped courts, now boasting 13 new additions. But court preference isn’t the only talking point; this year, the Cincinnati Heat has become a merciless opponent of its own. British ace Cameron Norrie looked visibly unwell before bowing out in a second-round defeat to veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, a stark reminder of the brutal conditions. And in the thick of it all, former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev found himself forced into bizarre mid-match tactics just to survive the scorching battlefield.

In his Cincinnati opener, Daniil Medvedev lit up the first set, taking the tie-break without conceding a point and blasting 41 winners, inclu

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