Hey there, fellow tennis enthusiasts It’s your girl Mia Johnson-Carter here, living the dream in Miami. I’m always excited to share the latest news and trends in tennis. Today, I want to talk about Daniil Medvedev’s struggles at the ATP Finals, which have been making headlines lately. As a young player, it’s always interesting to see how the top players are performing and what they’re going through.
Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, is having one of the worst seasons of his career. He hasn’t won a single title in 2024 and is unlikely to break this curse at the Nitto ATP Finals. His recent loss to Taylor Fritz in two sets at the ATP Finals in Turin showed clear signs of nervousness during the match. Even on his favorite surface, Medvedev is no longer able to play his best tennis, and his crisis is becoming more and more acute.
Medvedev’s 2024 started very well, reaching the final at the Australian Open. However, that defeat against Jannik Sinner just one set from victory left its mark on his mind. The player from Moscow has lost his certainties and his level has dropped a lot compared to his standards. His serve has worsened, with a large number of doubles faults in each match, while the pace from baseline no longer puts his opponents in trouble. Medvedev has blamed the balls several times, which in his opinion would only favor a certain type of players (such as Sinner and Alcaraz).
In a recent press conference, Medvedev expressed frustration with his current situation. He mentioned that he would not be so sorry to end his season, stating, “I always fight. As I said, since long time I fight with something that doesn’t depend on myself… I’m a good fighter. I am still 4 in the world. Might be 5 if Taylor plays good here. Still pretty decent. I’m sure a lot of guys would like it. But now I’m tired to fight it. I’m tired to fight against something that doesn’t depend on myself. I’ll see how it goes. Today actually I had my chances. I’ll have them the next matches. If it doesn’t work out, I go on holiday. I’m happy” – he added[1].
Moreover, Medvedev talked about the balls: “The balls make that everyone can [play long rallies] now. So not at all surprised,” Medvedev said. “I have this every day, day in, day out, since like two, three years. Every practice is a struggle. Every match is a struggle. I was holding for long time. Now I feel zero pleasure of being on the court.”
A controversial attitude
The 2021 US Open champion had a very controversial attitude in the second set when Fritz converted a break point with a lucky shot. Medvedev threw his racket on the court, conceded a penalty point, and was booed by the crowd. It’s not the first time Daniil has expressed his frustration in recent months, and there is a sense that he needs to take a break from tennis right now.
On the other hand, Taylor Fritz was good at not getting distracted and getting a very important victory in the Ilie Nastase group. The American ace will face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Tuesday. “I was able to grind through some long rallies or get some free points” – Fritz said after his win over Medvedev[1].
“I felt at 5-3 he was going to reset and try as hard as he could to break me, I had to tell myself he’s not going to just be done with the match. It’s very easy sometimes when someone’s doing that to relax and think they’re just going to be done, and then you drop your level. I had to stay focused and play a good game, because he was going to fight. I served a great game” – he concluded[1].
Taylor could overtake Daniil in the ATP ranking if he gets a good result at the ATP Finals. The American is having the best season of his career, having reached his first final in a Grand Slam tournament at the US Open. Medvedev also reached a Major final this year but his gap to Sinner and Alcaraz has widened a lot in recent months.
The former world No. 1 thought he would win more Grand Slam titles without the Big 3, but two new players have overtaken him in the ATP tour’s hierarchy. The champion from Moscow will work a lot with his team during the off-season to find new weapons to use on the court, but he will first have to find the right serenity.
If you want, you can check out the news where I found it here.
Yours truly,
Mia
####