Former World No.1 Says Daniil Medvedev’s “Star Days Are over” on the ATP Tour

Daniil Medvedev has not won a tour-level title in two years, the last time he lifted a trophy was at the 2023 Italian Open in Rome.

Former World No.1 Says Daniil Medvedev’s “Star Days Are over” on the ATP Tour

Daniil Medvedev (Image via X/Meddy Family)

Daniil Medvedev has struggled to find his form on the court this season. The Russian star is yet to reach a tournament final this year and is currently ranked outside the Top 10 in the ATP rankings. Former World No.1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov has criticized the 29-year-old for not giving his full priority to the sport.

Medvedev’s performances have been dismal in Grand Slam tournaments this season. He only has one after competing at the Australian Open and the French Open. At the Australian Open, he lost to Learner Tien after five sets in the second round, while at the Roland Garros, he succumbed to a defeat against British Cameron Norrie.

Additionally, the 29-year-old has found it hard to be at his best on court and has lost to very low-ranked players this season. One of them was Juame Munar at the Madrid Open, where the Spaniard defeated him in straight sets. Unsurprisingly, during the clay season, he didn’t reach the semi-finals of any tournament.

His best run on the surface was at the Madrid Open, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Casper Ruud in straight sets. He currently holds a 20-12 win-loss record on tour this season and began his grass-court campaign at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where he reached the quarterfinals.

In an interview with Championat, Yevgeny Kafelnikov revealed that Medvedev has changed his priorities from the court to his family, since the birth of his second daughter in early January:

I notice that the person’s priorities have changed. It seems to me that tennis is not his priority now, so I can’t comment on his results. The result he showed speaks for itself. Do I think that his priority has now shifted to family, children? Most likely, yes. In my opinion, tennis is not his first priority, that’s 100%. You should ask him about that. Did the birth of his second daughter influence or something else? You ask how I see it, I say that I see it this way: tennis is not his number one priority in life now. That’s it, period.

The tennis legend then added that the former World No. 1’s glory days on tour are over and that he will begin to win titles when he radically changes things in his career:

I think Daniil’s star days are over. He can achieve results only if he changes everything radically. My opinion is that he will be able to return to his former position only if he changes something. And if he doesn’t change anything, he won’t return anywhere.

The last time Medvedev won a title was at the 2023 Italian Open. Although since then he reached the 2023 US Open and 2024 Australian Open finals, he’s yet to claim any tour-level title.

Daniil Medvedev hails the Terra Wortmann Open after a comfortable first-round win

Daniil Medvedev earned his 20th win of the season at the Terra Wortmann Open after beating Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-3 to book his place in the second round of the ATP 500 tournament. The Russian star delivered a confident display in an hour and 3 minutes to kick-start his grass-court campaign. After the win, he praised the on-site hotels and the tournament:

Daniil Medvedev (2)
Daniil Medvedev (Image via X/Meddy Family)

It’s a very convenient place to play tennis. You stay in a hotel two minutes from the practice courts and two minutes away from centre court. So it’s the only tournament in the year where after your warmup you even go back to your hotel room. It even feels a bit strange. I’m a bit scared of overdoing it too much, going to sleep and missing the match! So it’s a fun tournament and I’m always happy to come back.

Medvedev will now face Quentin Halys in the second round as he aims to reach the tournament final once again after doing so in 2022. Also, he’s competing in the doubles category alongside fellow Russian Andrey Rublev.

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