After coming so close to winning his second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year, Daniil Medvedev is still unsure about what impact that match has had on his season.
The Russian was on the verge of victory against the formidable Rafael Nadal at Melbourne Park after surging to a two-set lead over the Spaniard before he staged a stunning comeback to prevail. It was a bitter outcome for Medvedev who had beaten Nick Kyrgios, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas earlier in the tournament. At the time it was the third consecutive ATP singles event he had played where he finished second best.
Coincidentally Medvedev’s next tournament saw him play Nadal once again in the semi-finals of the Acapulco Open which he lost 6-3, 6-3. Nevertheless, he managed to bounce back from those setbacks to produce what has been a relatively solid year on the Tour in terms of results. His win-loss record for the season currently stands at 39-14.
“Did the final in Australia break me? It’s never known. This may very well be true – or it may not be true. I don’t know. I didn’t play well in Indian Wells and Miami, but I was already on a different wavelength. But the tournament in Acapulco was hard to play after the Australian final,” Medvedev told reporters at the Astana Open on Thursday.
“I also had surgery to remove an inguinal hernia. Could it also have had some consequences? Maybe yes, maybe no. For my part, I try to do my best.’
“The final in Australia is already forgotten. Yes, it’s a shame, I wanted to win, but I can’t change it anymore, so the only thing left is to try to do it better next time. Even if there was an influence, I hope that I will be able to overcome it.”
In February Medvedev reached the No.1 spot for the first time and held the position for a total of 16 weeks overall during two separate periods. He had spent more time in the top spot than players such as Andy Roddick, Boris Becker, and fellow countryman Marat Safin. At present, the 26-year-old is in fourth position after being dethroned by US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz.
“I can’t say that I experienced some kind of colossal pressure,” he said of being No.1. “Could my opponents have adjusted differently? Maybe. On the other hand, what difference does it make to them whether Medvedev is in fourth place or first – do they not want to win anyway?’
“So it’s hard to say. The pressure I put on myself will always be there. I try not to overdo it, but I always strive to be the best – no matter where I am. Everything that happened is an experience. And I hope that with this experience I can grow. In fact, the easiest goal is to score as many points as possible. But I want to win as many tournaments as possible.”
Approaching the final quarter of the season, Medvedev is targeting a place in the prestigious ATP Finals where he finished runner-up last year. He is currently fifth in the race and is in a strong position to qualify.
Should Medvedev defeat Roberto Bautista Agut in his quarter-final match at the Astana Open, it will be the fourth time in his career he has achieved 40 or more wins within a season after 2018 (43), 2019 (59) and 2021 (63). As for his future goals, he admits that there is still is work to be done.
“I would like to gain a foothold on the first line (No.1 spot), but for this, you need to play better at the Grand Slam tournaments than I did this year,” he concluded.
