Daniil Medvedev admitted that he battled some serious self-doubts following his early US Open exit and that he wondered if his best tennis days were behind him.
After not winning a single title in 2024 and seeing his consistency drop, Medvedev didn't make a targeted start to 2025 either. It especially got rough between Wimbledon and the US Open when the Russian stunningly lost five of his eight matches played during that period. Not only did the former world No. 1 pick up back-to-back Grand Slam exits at Wimbledon and the US Open, but he also completely lost it during a loss to Benjamin Bonzi at Flushing Meadows and created one of the most chaotic scenes of the 2026 season.
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After the US Open, Medvedev took a short break - returned to the practice court - and also replaced coach Gilles Cervara with Thomas Johansson. When the 29-year-old returned to action, he ended his two-and-a-half-year title drought in Almaty and also had semifinal outings at the Shanghai Masters and Beijing.
Medvedev: There was a moment of fear when I doubted if I could still play like I used to
"There was a moment of fear [in the American swing], thinking: 'Maybe I can't play like I used to.' I'm 29, and there are examples of tennis players... who couldn't play the same way anymore. But in Monaco, I trained at a level where, probably, no one except Sinner or Alcaraz would have beaten me. That's when I said: 'Ah, okay, I still know how," Medvedev told Sofya Tartakova for Bolshe!
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For the Russian - who turns 30 in February - one of his biggest goals for 2026 will certainly be to do much better at the Grand Slam stage.
It remains to be seen if Medvedev can make some noise at the Australian Open, where he reached three finals in the past.
