2024 has not given much satisfaction to Daniil Medvedev. The Russian champion has not yet won a title this season and many fans think that he has been overtaken by several players in the ATP tour’s hierarchy. The former world number 1 started the season very well, reaching the final at the Australian Open for the third time in his career. After losing to Novak Djokovic in 2021 and to Rafael Nadal the following year, the Russian hoped to finally lift the trophy at Melbourne Park.
The tennis player from Moscow was considered a clear underdog against Jannik Sinner in the final, but he played excellent tennis shocking the Italian ace and winning the first two sets. Daniil’s level dropped just in the decisive moment, Jannik took courage and completed the comeback to prevail in the fifth set after a very spectacular battle.
After that defeat, Medvedev struggled to regain the best feelings for a while and did not shine on red clay. The 2021 US Open champion returned to play well at the Wimbledon Championships, where he took his revenge on Sinner in the quarterfinals before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final.
Insiders thought the Russian could win at least one of the American tournaments during the summer, but he has caused a disaster in both Montreal and Cincinnati. At the 2024 US Open, his run ended in the quarterfinals against Sinner at the end of a match in which he committed almost 60 unforced errors.
Medvedev cannot be happy
Despite his good results, Medvedev’s season cannot be considered satisfactory for a player of his caliber. The Russian champion has shown that he suffers a lot against young talents like Sinner and Alcaraz. Daniil had dominated the first part of his rivalry with the Italian ace, but the situation has changed a lot in the last year.
The former World No.1 is a member of Team Europe in the 2024 edition of the Laver Cup. “I think it’s the same – when we are there, we want to win” – he said. “You know some of the opponents, maybe when you see them in your part of the draw, you want them to lose sometimes so you’re going to have an easier draw or something. Here that’s not the case. You want everyone on your team to win and it’s a pretty strange feeling in a way, but for sure Team World got the last two wins, so we’re going to bring this one back to Europe” – Daniil added.
The feeling is that the other players now know very well the type of game Medvedev and have figured out how to create problems. He will need to expand his arsenal with the advice of Gilles Cervara and former ATP ace Gilles Simon, who is giving him many tips from a tactical point of view.
What’s next for Daniil?
Daniil played his first Grand Slam final at the 2019 US Open against Rafa Nadal. The Russian played a fantastic match against the Spanish legend, losing only in the fifth set. “I love it. I love to play in New York. I mean, crazy 2019 run, but especially the final against Rafa. To be honest, wherever I played him, the crowd was fully for him. I played him once during Covid and there was nobody and I felt like the crowd was still for him,” Medvedev said in a recent interview.
“But here was the only place, I was 2-0 down, break down and suddenly all the crowd was like, ‘Okay, we want to continue the match. That’s what happens when you’re 2-0 up, they always go for your opponent so you’re like ‘Maybe I should’ve lost in the beginning to try to get them for me.’ But no, I love New York, my favorite tournament to play in, my favorite city to play in,” he concluded.
The former world number 1 is one of the most tactically intelligent players, but his very backward position on the tennis court is a major disadvantage. The Russian also needs to improve on grass and red clay to undermine the top players in the ATP ranking. Daniil has worked a lot on these surfaces over the last couple of years and his level has certainly improved, but he is still far from that of other top players. The Australian Open and US Open are the two Grand Slam tournaments in which he has the best chance of winning, but he is not favored against Sinner and Alcaraz. The Russian champion recently admitted that Carlitos is the toughest player he’s faced in his career.