Daniil Medvedev’s 2025 season hasn’t gone to plan, as he continues to tumble down the rankings.
Now ranked 13th on the ATP Tour, the former world number one must be wondering what’s gone wrong for him over the last few years.
After losing in the first round of Wimbledon, Medvedev would’ve hoped to bounce back on his favored hard courts, but he has struggled in the lead-up to the US Open.
Winning just three of his six matches across the Washington Open, Canadian Open, and Cincinnati Open, Medvedev now travels to New York low on form and confidence.
Asked about the Russian’s struggles during his pre-tournament press conference, world number three Alexander Zverev made a confident prediction about Medvedev’s future.
Alexander Zverev is ‘sure’ Daniil Medvedev will return to the top ten once he exits ‘rough patch’
Zverev was keen to remind the media of what goes on behind closed doors when he was asked about Medvedev’s poor run of form.
“I think sometimes we forget that life continues happening, also, right?” he said.
“There are certain things outside the tennis court that happen in people’s lives. My life is very, very different than what it was five years ago. You know what I mean?
“Daniil [Medvedev] is a two-time father now. So that also goes into your tennis.”
Medvedev welcomed his second child in January this year, arriving late to the Australian Open as a result.
Zverev, who is also a father, knows all too well the pressures parenthood can add, as he remembers a ‘rough patch’ he endured a few years ago.
“My life, when I come home from a tournament, is also very, very different, because I need to take care of my daughter sometimes and those things,” he said.
“So it’s about evolving, taking life into consideration, into your tennis as well. Training a bit differently as you get older, doing different things as you get older.
“Sometimes you have a rough patch.
“I had a rough patch when four, five years ago, I couldn’t put a second serve in on this planet, in the stadium. Maybe that’s what’s happening to them [Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas] right now.”
The German is, however, confident that Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will return to the top ten when they exit their current ‘rough patches’.
“I’m sure when they get out of it, they will be top ten again because they are just that good. Daniil and Stefanos are very good tennis players,” said Zverev.
“Especially Daniil, he will be back to where he was, you know, 18 to 24 months ago.
“But he needs to figure out how to handle the new situation that he’s in.”
Both Medvedev and Tsitsipas have endured poor seasons by their lofty standards, and both currently sit outside the top ten.
| Player | Career-high ranking | Current ranking | Career titles | 2025 titles | Best Grand Slam performance | Best 2025 Grand Slam performance |
| Daniil Medvedev | 1 | 13 | 20 | 0 | W – 2021 US Open | 2R – Australian Open |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 3 | 28 | 12 | 1 | F – 2021 French Open, 2023 Australian Open | 2R – French Open |
They’ll certainly be hoping for a better showing in New York, as they look to finish a tough season on a high note.
Medvedev and Tsitsipas aren’t the only players looking to improve, as Zverev himself is working hard to close the gap to the world number one and two.
Alexander Zverev went to ‘Uncle Toni’ and Rafael Nadal to improve
Yet to win a Grand Slam title, Zverev, like the rest of the ATP Tour, is aware he will probably need to beat Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in back-to-back matches if he wants to pick up a major in today’s game.
Looking to find any edge possible in a bid to overhaul the world number one and two, Zverev trained with Toni Nadal and Rafael Nadal in Spain recently.
The experience was valuable for the 28-year-old, as he now sheds more light on the time they spent together.
“That’s why I went to see Uncle Toni and Rafa [Nadal], because I wanted to see and then hear a new vision of what tennis in their mind looks like and how my tennis in their mind looks like,” said Zverev.
“Rafa, for example, played against me for ten years. So now, as a spectator and also as an opponent, he can probably give you the best advice anybody else can, because he knows what it’s like to be on the court with me.
Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev’s head-to-head record
- Rafael Nadal 7 – 4 Alexander Zverev
“You know, it was exactly what I’m looking for, right?
“I’m looking forward to those two weeks. I don’t need to beat everybody, just the seven guys in front of me.
“I think in tennis everybody can always improve. It’s as simple as that.”
Searching for his maiden Grand Slam title, Zverev will no doubt use all of Nadal’s teachings in New York.
Zverev is scheduled to begin his 2025 US Open campaign on Monday, August 25, against Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo.
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