Unexpected finale

Between the Italian who said he did not feel very well physically at the start of the tournament and Grigor who beat Alcaraz then Zverev in quick succession, it is an unprecedented final which will be played out today. Can the Bulgarian beat 3 top 10s in a row to win the title? This is what we will see...

I would like to ask you a first question before anything else: did you believe in Dimitrov against Alcaraz when the Spaniard had just regained a taste for his tennis? Did you think Dimitrov was going to have a 6/2 5/1 ball, win in 2 sets and hear Carlito say "I felt like a 13 year old child with no solutions"? Okay, now, a feat is a feat. Why not. But did you believe in Dimitrov's victory against Zverev who had beaten him 7 times in 8 meetings, often with beatings? I don't think so either. Especially since the Z was in great shape in Miami. This little introduction simply to make you aware of the level that the Bulgarian has displayed during the last two matches. How is it ? Here are the overall patterns: very good quality of service, very good mentality with an overwhelming desire to win, neutralization in the exchange with his backhand slice, forehand shift to take the game into his own hands, and above all, both feet in runs him as soon as he can with plenty of riding on the fly. All this with a rare elegance that reminds us of Federer. Today, Grigor returns to the top 10 in the live ATP rankings. He left it in 2018 after reaching his best ranking of No. 3. We often talk about wasted talent since he never shone in a grand slam. But for 2 seasons already, its results have been more and more convincing. Now, we're in the final, and obviously, he doesn't meet just anyone. The Italian has been unplayable for 6 months. He only lost to Djoko and Alcaraz. As said in the intro, he was not well at the start of the tournament and missed his starts against Griekspoor and O'Connell, things which are not like him. His performance against Daniil should also be put into perspective because Daniil gave a lot by arriving with a very aggressive approach which did not suit him at all. The Italian is therefore in good shape, but has not been tested as much as Grigor. In terms of confrontations, a clear advantage for the Italian because his only defeat dates back to 2020, where Sinner was not yet as well ranked. And the last meeting in 3 sets saw Sinner not in his right mind physically (he even hid to vomit in a memory bin) and lost the second set by having obtained 8 break points. A match up to the advantage of the Italian therefore. But Grigor was certainly not in such great shape as he is today and did not play with such aggression. As for their respective performances in the final, a slight advantage for the Italian again with 64% of finals won against 57% for Grigor (and with finals of bigger tournaments what's more). The main question here is therefore whether or not to believe in the Bulgarian's lucky star in this Miami tournament which generally succeeds much more for the Italian than for him. And to “guess” what impact the new aggressive Grigor can have on their “match up”.