Daniil Medvedev Gets Real About What Makes Him “Keep Playing Tennis”
Daniil Medvedev ended the year as World No.13 and failed to play at the ATP Finals in Turin.
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Daniil Medvedev (Image via X/TENNISCentel)
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Daniil Medvedev is a unique tennis player, but he endured one of his worst campaigns on tour this season. Despite being one of the most talented players in the men’s circuit, the Russian star failed to finish in the top 10 of the ATP rankings and crashed out of three Grand Slam tournaments in the opening round.
Medvedev first made a name for himself on tour in 2019, winning two ATP Masters 1000 titles, while reaching the final of the US Open. Two years later, he finally clinched his first Grand Slam, confirming his stature in the sport. He leapt up in the ATP rankings in 2022, finally becoming the World No.1, while also occasionally reaching major tournaments’ finals.
His stay at the top of the rankings didn’t last long. After winning the Rome Masters in 2023, he went on a title drought that lasted until late 2025, losing in six finals during that period. He began this year in the top 5, but began to play badly, and that led to his drop in the rankings, and eventually saw him drop out of the top 10.
He finished the year as World No.13 and also failed to feature in the ATP Finals in Turin, despite playing in the tournament last year. His poor results on the court have made several former players criticize his attitude on the court and his poor display against top players, particularly against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Speaking in St Petersburg at a recent exhibition tournament, the 29-year-old was asked about his current ranking position. He revealed that his current ranking is actually fueling his continued progress on the ATP Tour. He added that if he was satisfied with his position in the rankings, he would have retired:
That’s why I keep playing tennis. If I were satisfied with my ranking, I think it would be time to retire. So I just hope I can play at least as well as I did at the end of this year, because it wasn’t bad. But I know I can play even better than at the end of the season in terms of consistency. Because some matches were fantastic. For example, the match against [Alex] De Minaur in the quarter-finals in Shanghai. You can’t play better than that.
Medvedev’s title drought ended at the Almaty Open, where he claimed his only title of the season after beating Corentin Moutet in the final. The former World No.1 reached the final of the Terra Wortmann Open but lost the title to Alexander Bublik, who had beaten Sinner in the third round.
Daniil Medvedev hopes to give a consistent performance next season
Daniil Medvedev’s best run of form this season was during the Asian swing, where he reached the quarter-finals of all the tournaments he competed in. He entered the swing just days after splitting with Gilles Cervara and hiring Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke. Besides that, Medvedev’s form saw him reach the semi-finals of the China Open and the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
During the aforementioned press conference, Medvedev explained that he will work on his fitness this pre-season, with the aim of increasing his pace on the court and making his game better. He added that he hopes to produce a more consistent performance next season:
However, in terms of consistency, I could have played better. So I’m going to work on my fitness so I can keep up the pace and play well in several tournaments in a row, like before. And, of course, from a tennis perspective, I just hope I can play well from one tournament to the next.
The last time Medvedev reached a Grand Slam final was at the 2024 Australian Open, where he lost to Jannik Sinner in five sets. The World No.13 was poor in major tournaments this season, winning just one match. He crashed out in the second round of the Australian Open after losing to American youngster Learner Tien.
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