Andy Roddick Refuses to Bet Against Daniil Medvedev Amid Loss of Form

Daniil Medvedev has had a poor string of performances this season, even plummeting on his favorite surface—the hard court.

Andy Roddick Refuses to Bet Against Daniil Medvedev Amid Loss of Form

Daniil Medvedev (image via X/We Love Tennis), Andy Roddick (image via Served with Andy Roddick)

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Tennis players often face a great deal of scrutiny whenever they perform below expectations. The ATP and WTA tours are very tightly packed, players move from one country to the other and have to adapt to new court conditions all the time. Injuries hold back many athletes, and beyond that, personal struggles and mental health issues also take a toll on their game.

Daniil Medvedev is on a two-year title drought and has performed quite poorly in the North American hard court swing, his much-preferred surface. The 29-year-old reached the quarterfinals of the Washington Open and the third round of the Canadian Open, and the nail in the coffin was his opening-round exit at the Cincinnati Open.

Hard court, otherwise, has been his forte, with 18 of his 20 titles coming on this surface. The only final he reached this year was on grass court at the Halle Open. Despite his poor form, Andy Roddick would not bet against the Russian. Speaking on his podcast, Roddick remarked:

If you take a step back, he’s been world number one, a Grand Slam winner, a multiple Grand Slam finalist, a Masters 1000 winner… This guy is in a transitional era, starting with Rafa, Roger, Novak, and now moving into the early years of Alcaraz’s prime form, maybe not yet at his peak, but at the beginning of it. So, first of all, hats off to him…

Medvedev won the US Open in 2021, putting a halt to Novak Djokovic’s quest for the elusive calendar Grand Slam. Outside of this, he has reached five Grand Slam finals, with his last one being the 2024 Australian Open. He has also won 6 Masters 1000 finals and the 2020 ATP Finals. Roddick further added:

Secondly, he’s clearly searching for something. We’re at a turning point. Is this the new normal? Or is it just a lull, a question of confidence or adjustments? We don’t know yet. Betting against the greats is always risky. Players who have been world number one, who have won a Grand Slam, and who have more than 20 titles, they’re not easy to come by. He’s one of them.

Medvedev will next be seen playing at the US Open, where he will also pair up with compatriot Mirra Andreeva for doubles. Andreeva withdrew from the Cincinnati Open due to an ankle injury she picked up in Montreal. As for his struggles, Medvedev has earlier opened up on his shoulder pain, which affected him from 2023 to 2024, and how the conditions in Cincinnati made it tough for him physically.

Daniil Medvedev’s persistent struggles

At the Cincinnati Masters, twelfth seed Daniil Medvedev faced an opening round loss to Australia’s Adam Walton, ranked 85th in the world. It marked Medvedev’s 15th defeat in 40 matches this season and is a worrying statistic for someone who once dominated the hard court swing.

With Medvedev’s persistent struggles, there are low expectations of him doing anything remarkable in New York. However, there is still a ray of hope that the former World No. 1 may make his comeback sometime later once he regains his confidence and works on his weaknesses.

Daniil Medvedev Washington Open 2025
Daniil Medvedev (imagev via Getty)

His performances in Grand Slams have been quite disappointing this year. After being pushed to five sets in the first round at the Australian Open, he lost in the second round in another five-set match. He had a five-set defeat in the opening round at Roland Garros and another opening-round exit in four sets at Wimbledon.

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