From the moment Daniil Medvedev saw his compatriot Marat Safin win the Australian Open in 2005, he knew for sure: Medvedev would follow in his footsteps. Inspired by Safin, he couldn't put his tennis racket down, and nineteen years later, Medvedev can look back on achievements including three Australian Open finals and a US Open title. While an Australian Open victory wasn't yet in the cards for Medvedev, it undoubtedly remains high on the towering Russian's bucket list . Sjeng Sports profiles the 28-year-old Medvedev, who has become an indispensable part of the international tennis elite and is currently number five in the ATP Ranking .
Name: Daniil Medvedev
Nationality: Russian
Born on: February 11, 1996
Tennis hand: Right
Current ATP Ranking: 5
Sixteen weeks at number one in 2022
On February 28, 2022, the time had finally come. Daniil Medvedev replaced Novak Djokovic as world number one for the first time in his career. Under the guidance of Gilles Cervara, who has been Medvedev's regular tennis coach since 2017. However, much had already happened in Medvedev's career before then, as he ultimately held the world number one spot for sixteen weeks in 2022 and, moreover, was the first world number one—after Andy Roddick in 2004—not named Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer. Consider, for example, the Russian's first—and so far only—Grand Slam singles title, when he defeated Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the US Open final.
From hard hitter to prize winner
Medvedev's strong results were a logical consequence of the change he made in 2018. That year, Medvedev changed and professionalized his playing style. While Medvedev's tennis had initially focused primarily on "crazy shots" and often aimed to hit as hard as possible, he has since reshaped his style. It's clear that this has paid off. While he had won "only" one title up until 2018, the victories came in rapid succession from that year onward. Hard courts, Medvedev's favorite surface, proved to be a particular favorite: in 2018, he captured the finals in Sydney, Tokyo, and Winston-Salem (all on hard courts), thus storming into the world's top twenty.
$2.5 million in prize money
It proved to be the prelude to several wonderful years for Medvedev, during which he racked up titles. In 2019, he won four hard-court tournaments (including in Shanghai and Cincinnati), and in 2020, he not only won the Paris Masters but also the prestigious ATP Finals. A year later, Medvedev, who had only won titles on hard courts until then, proved he can sometimes show his best tennis on other surfaces by winning the grass-court tournament in Mallorca. He also achieved victories in Marseille and Toronto that year, and, as mentioned earlier, this was the year in which he also won his first Grand Slam title. By beating Djokovic in the final, Medvedev earned a whopping $2.5 million in prize money.
Medvedev's best Grand Slam results:
Australian Open – Final (2021, 2022, 2024)
Roland Garros – Quarterfinals (2021)
Wimbledon – Semi-final (2023)
US Open – Winner (2021)
Five ATP finals in a row
While Medvedev had already held the number one spot in the ATP Rankings for sixteen weeks in 2022, he continued his form in 2023. For the second time in his career, the Russian managed to reach five consecutive ATP Tour finals. Medvedev won titles in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, and Miami, while also reaching the final at Indian Wells. Perhaps the most surprising title Medvedev won in 2023, however, was the final victory in Rome. Why? The Rome tournament is one of the preparation tournaments for Roland Garros and is therefore played on clay. Firstly, Medvedev had never won a title on clay before this, and he has also often been open about the fact that clay doesn't suit him very well. Interestingly, a few weeks later, at Roland Garros, Medvedev was eliminated in the first round.
So far in 2024, Daniil Medvedev hasn't won any tournaments and has dropped to fifth place in the ATP Rankings. However, we know for sure that this six-time Grand Slam finalist, who is still only 28 years old and has already won no fewer than twenty titles in his career, will continue to add a considerable number of tournament victories to his name this year.
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