ATP Almaty Draw and Preview: Can Medvedev defend his title with potentially Turin on the horizon?

The final ATP 250 tournament getting underway this week is in Almaty, Russia and the tournament boasts quite a strong field this year all things considered. Defending champion Daniil Medvedev has returned to defend his title as the top seed. The likes of Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Karen Khachanov are also amongst the seeds this tournament.

Notable seeds

Medvedev is the most notable name in the draw this week based on the situation he finds himself in with Turin, the fact he is the defending champion and it will be intriguing to see if he backs up the run in Shanghai with another great week. He looked decent at Masters level in China but the serving difficulties are still there from time to time and it led to him getting unstuck in the semi-final against eventual finalist Jodar.

For me, Alexander Bublik as the third seed is a name to look out for, sometimes it can be hard to predict when he is going to catch fire and be in motivated mode, but when he is he can play some inspired tennis. The Almaty indoor conditions is the type he will enjoy because of quick-fire points, more help for the serve and aids his creative brand of tennis largely. I think he is due a big week at tour-level so we shall see.

Story of the week

A tennis legend will be hanging up his racket in Almaty this week as Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin plans to retire at the event. Kukushkin has captured many tennis fans hearts over the years because of his unique game, a backhand that stands alone in terms of how it is made up and he possessed one of the flattest balls on the tour alongside players like Adrian Mannarino. Understated as a personality but easy to remember when he competes on a tennis court. He will be missed on tour.

Most appealing first round: Bellucci vs Etcheverry