A trophyless 2024 for Medvedev
The Russian failed to lift a trophy for the first time since 2017
Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA/SIPA
Not many players can finish in the top 5 and still be somewhat dissatisfied with their season. This is the case for Daniil Medvedev, who remains among the elite, but has just dropped behind the very best.
“I would rate my season somewhere around six and a half out of 10, which means a lot of work to do to be better, but still a lot of good memories also.”
Medvedev has been very vocal with his complaints over how much slower the balls have gotten, to which he attributes the shoulder pain he’s been dealing with for most of the year, yet was still able to come up with 46 wins, six of which came against fellow top 10 opponents.
The Russian didn’t manage to win a title this year, but did play two big finals (Australian Open and Indian Wells) and reached four additional semifinals (Dubai, Miami, Wimbledon, Beijing). Consistency hasn’t been the issue, except for the post-Olympics American hardcourts season, but he hasn’t made any inroads in the matchups against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Medvedev’s retrieving, counterpunching playing style is still a nightmare for most opponents – outside of clay that is – but when it comes to taking on the hard hitting Italian and Spaniard he just doesn’t seem to have the answers.
“You need to play an inch perfect match to beat Sinner, from start to finish… If he gets control of the match, it’s tough to break his rhythm”.
Medvedev will be looking to use the wisdom of his co-coach Gilles Simon, whose tennis IQ has been proven over the course of his career, but Daniil will also rely on his long-time coach Gilles Cervara to remain calm when it matters the most. Additionally, he needs to find consistency on his serve again.
Greatest Win: Alexander Zverev came into the match flying high after a convincing victory over Carlos Alcaraz and he opened up a 2-0 lead against Medvedev in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Medvedev was on the brink of defeat, two points away, but managed to turn it around and win 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-3 to reach his third final in Melbourne.
What If Moment: The tables turn rather quickly in tennis, something Medvedev found out in his next match. By going out of his comfort zone and playing an extremely aggressive brand of tennis, he took the first two sets against Sinner in the finals. Medvedev had almost nothing left in the tank, though, as he had played more than 20 hours of tennis coming into the final, with his second round match finishing at 3.40 AM.
Sinner managed to win 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3, but one wonders what could’ve happened if Medvedev didn’t take the scenic route earlier in the tournament against Ruusuvuori, Borges and Hurkacz. Medvedev ended up spending a record 24 hours and 17 minutes on court over the course of the tournament.
Look Ahead: Having played six majors finals, with his sole title coming at the 2021 US Open, Medvedev will be looking for more Grand Slam glory. To be able to do so, he needs to find a way to beat Sinner and Alcaraz.
His sole victory over Sinner in 2024 came in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, but he lost another five matches to the world number one, including at the Australian Open, Miami masters and US Open. Medvedev also lost all three of his encounters with Alcaraz (Indian Wells, Wimbledon, Beijing).
