Daniil Medvedev Reflects on the Struggles His Generation of Players Face Against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Daniil Medvedev is the only high-profile player of his generation who has won a Grand Slam, others have only managed to finish as runners-up.

Daniil Medvedev Reflects on the Struggles His Generation of Players Face Against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

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

Daniil Medvedev is currently going through a very rough patch in his career. The Russian has not won any title since lifting the Italian Open in 2023. Not only him, but players who were born in the 90s are also struggling to win Majors amid the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The former US Open champion has finally opened up about the reasons behind the struggle.

Medvedev has failed to reach a final this season and in his most recent outing, he lost to Cameron Norrie in a five-set thriller in the first round of the French Open. It was the first time in two years that the former World No.3 lost in the opening match of any Grand Slam event. Also, this season, he has suffered 11 defeats in 29 matches, a poor record for his standards.

Interestingly, Medvedev isn’t the only high-profile player struggling on the court this season. There have been other players in his generation, who have failed to produce consistent results this year. They include Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Taylor Fritz. Those six players were once regarded as the candidates to take over from the Big 3.

Unfortunately, they have all failed to win a Grand Slam, except for Medvedev. Zverev has been one of the leading figures of the 90s generation, but he has often been criticized for not showing the fighting spirit in Grand Slam events. At the just-concluded French Open, he succumbed to a quarter-final defeat to Novak Djokovic.

Also, Fritz and Ruud have been to major tournament finals but have failed to claim the title. During an interview with Univers Tennis at a Tecnifibre event, Medvedev was asked how he sees his generation coping against Alcaraz and Sinner: He revealed:

The reality is that Roger, Rafa, Novak, Andy were monsters of a generation that dominated, leaving just a little something to the others, to Juan Martin (del Potro), Marin (Cilic) and Stan (Wawrinka). We from the 90s arrived, we who are strong but not quite as good as Federer, Nadal, Djokovic or Murray, and not even as good as Sinner and Alcaraz.

In the past six Grand Slams, Alcaraz and Sinner have won three each. In fact, this season alone, they have shared the two Grand Slams already played, with Alcaraz winning the French Open and Sinner winning the Australian Open. Both players are also likely to dominate Grand Slam stages for years to come.

Daniil Medvedev believes that the 90s generation of players can win Grand Slams

Despite the lack of consistency from players born in the 1990s, Daniil Medvedev hasn’t given up on his generation. The Russian star believes that they can still compete for Grand Slam titles against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Even though he is currently 29, Alexander Zverev is 28, Taylor Fritz is 27, and Ruud is 26, the former US Open champion said they are capable of winning more Grand Slams during the aforementioned interview:

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev (image via X)

We are not as good as Federer, Nadal, Djokovic or Murray, and still not as good as Sinner and Alcaraz. But I am sure that our generation will win more Grand Slam titles.

Among the players born in the 90s, Medvedev has won one Grand Slam and finished as runners-up five times, Zverev 3 runners-up, Ruud 3 runners-up, Stefanos Tsitsipas 2 runners-up, while Fritz has only one runner-up. All the aforementioned players were supposed to have taken over from the Big 3, but despite their talent, they couldn’t reach the consistent performances that the Big 3 displayed, particularly in Grand Slam events.

Also Read: Ex-WTA Pro Compares Carlos Alcaraz to ‘Butterfly’ While Explaining Why Spaniard Needs Arch-Rival Jannik Sinner