Daniil Medvedev Gives His Thoughts on Why Beating Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is Difficult

Daniil Medvedev will aim to bounce back in 2026 after a disastrous 2025 season.

Daniil Medvedev Gives His Thoughts on Why Beating Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is Difficult

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev (via X/The Tennis Letter/ESPN)

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Daniil Medvedev has outlined why it is difficult to beat Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on tour. The former World No.1 will look to bounce back in 2026 after a largely disappointing 2025 campaign in which he failed to win more than two Grand Slam matches and was heavily criticized for his attitude on the court.

Medvedev’s disappointing performance this season prevented him from meeting either Alcaraz or Sinner on the court. The Russian star was heavily disappointing in Grand Slam tournaments, losing in the opening round matches of the French Open, Wimbledon Championship, and the US Open in New York.

If he had won some of the matches, he would have faced either Alcaraz or Sinner in the round of 16 or quarter-finals. The last time Medvedev defeated Sinner was at Wimbledon last year. In fact, he defeated the Italian star in their first six meetings on tour, but has lost eight of their last nine clashes on tour.

Meanwhile, against Alcaraz, Medvedev has often struggled to play his best tennis. He holds an underwhelming 2-6 record against the Spaniard and has not won any of their last four meetings. Medvedev would have faced Sinner at the China Open in September, but he fell to Learner Tien in the semi-finals.

During an interview with Bolshe, Medvedev was asked why it was difficult to overcome Alcaraz and Sinner on tour. The World No.13 acknowledged that their style of play, particularly that of Alcaraz, makes it very difficult for players to beat them. He added that he has lost to them on several occasions:

There was a moment when I was third or fourth in the world, and I thought about it a lot (how to beat Sinner and Alcaraz). I mean, they had been beating me a lot. I had one great match against Sinner at Wimbledon. It wasn’t that far at the US Open, but a loss is still a loss. It’s generally difficult for me to play against Alcaraz due to his playing style. I really thought about it a lot during training and tried to come up with something with the old team, but it turned out that I didn’t even play them once last season.

Sinner and Alcaraz are currently the two top players on tour this season, while Medvedev finished the season outside the Top 10. That shows a clear demarcation between the players and where they are heading in their careers. However, Medvedev will hope to bounce back to form next season.

Daniil Medvedev reveals whether he will continue with his coaches next season

Daniil Medvedev made some passionate changes in his team after crashing out of the US Open in the first round. He parted ways with his long-time coach, Gilles Cervara, and hired Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke to help him get back to form. There were some signs of renewed confidence in his game after the changes as he won his only title at the Almaty Open.

Daniil Medvedev Cincinnati Open 2025
Daniil Medvedev (image via Cincinnati Open)

However, there are questions whether Medvedev will remain with the coaches knowing fully well that he’s a difficult person to deal with. He revealed during an interview with Sports.ru that he will continue with Johansson and Goetzke next season:

So, the main work will be now, but in the interim, everything has gone great. We initially agreed that this would be a trial period until the end of the season. We’re all enjoying it, and we’re continuing to work. So next season will be more interesting: both they and I have higher expectations. We’ll see what comes of it.

Medvedev will be looking to make a statement at the 2026 Australian Open after a disappointing run in Grand Slam tournaments. The Russian star had a good Asian swing with his new coaches, reaching the quarter-finals of the every tournament he played in during that period, but struggled to continue with it during the indoor hard court season.

Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz Highlights Reasons Why He Competes in Exhibition Tournaments Despite Schedule Criticism