Daniil Medvedev Warns Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner About the Rise of “a Third Candidate”

Daniil Medvedev has won just one major tournament match this season, while Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have claimed the last seven Grand Slams.

Daniil Medvedev Warns Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner About the Rise of “a Third Candidate”

Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner (via Tennis TV/Metro Vaartha and X-Latso)

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A few years ago, Daniil Medvedev was dubbed to emerge as the potential flag bearer of his generation. But the Russian star has struggled to reach that expectation and since the rise of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, he has dropped from his top 10 status. However, he hopes that a third player will rise to compete against the current Big 2 in men’s tennis.

Medvedev rose to fame in the late stages of the Big Three era (Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer) and with much effort, he could only claim one Grand Slam title, which came at the 2021 US Open after defeating Djokovic in the final. Also, he did well to become the first player other than the Big Four to be World No.1 since 2004.

But since the start of the 2024 season, the 29-year-old has struggled in the shadows of Alcaraz and Sinner. He was seeking his second career Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2024, but lost to Sinner in a five-set thriller in the final. He has not been able to reach another major tournament final since then.

Meanwhile, Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated the men’s circuit, claiming the last seven Grand Slams. The former won four of them, including the 2025 Australian Open and Wimbledon, while the latter has claimed three. Both players have faced each other in back-to-back major finals, bringing back the memories of Federer and Nadal clashes.

With Alcaraz and Sinner now miles ahead of other players on tour, it looks certain they will continue that way. But Medvedev has warned that the pair shouldn’t underestimate a potential third player, who might rise to compete with them. He said in his interview with the ATP:

Jannik and Carlos are playing incredibly, they are the two best players at the moment and are performing at a level above all others, but you should never underestimate a third candidate who might appear and challenge them.

Medvedev has been to six Grand Slam finals in his career, but holds a 1-5 win-loss record. Two of those losses have come against Djokovic, two against Nadal, and one against Sinner. But this year, the former World No.1 has managed to win only one major tournament match, losing in the opening round at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Daniil Medvedev hopes to find the main reason behind his poor form on the court

Daniil Medvedev has managed to reach just one final in the past fourteen months on tour. The last time he won a title was at the 2023 Italian Open in Rome. Recently, at the Washington Open, he failed to advance past Corentin Moutet in the quarter-finals and Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the Canadian Open.

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

However, the World No.15 is hopeful that he can get back to his best on the court. During the aforementioned interview, he revealed that he has approached the Cincinnati Open with a different method after discussing it with his team:

It’s very tough in tennis, because I could find 10 reasons and I would not know which one is the main reason. Whatever we do, we just try to improve. So we sat down with the team: Where can we do things better? What can we change? We discussed some things and I’m going to try and implement it.

Medvedev will open his Cincinnati Open campaign against unseeded Australian star Adam Walton. Last year, he crashed out in the second round of the tournament after losing to Jiri Lehecka in straight sets.

Also Read: Ben Shelton Hopes Canadian Open Victory Will Be a “Foundation” for More Success on the Court