Daniil Medvedev kicked off his 2026 season in the best way possible by winning the Brisbane International.
Medvedev is trying his best to perform after claiming his 22nd ATP title in Brisbane, having overcome Brandon Nakashima in the final.
Currently ranked 12th in the world, Medvedev is the 11th seed at the Australian Open, which starts this weekend at Melbourne Park.
Medvedev is loved by the Australian Open fans, but he has lost all three of his finals at the hard-court Grand Slam.
The Australian Open is the best Grand Slam… discuss!
Andy Roddick backs Daniil Medvedev for Australian Open contention
Former world number one Andy Roddick has now discussed the Russian ahead of the event, saying on his Served podcast: “22 titles in 22 different cities, one of my favorite statistics in all of tennis.
“Meddy is back, he is back! You see the difference, him going into Australia last year, didn’t play any lead-up events, was mentally finished, had a baby in the off-season.
“Showed up in Australia because the date presents itself and you have to go, versus going there early off of, what, listen, for most people it’s a career year finishing 13th, getting an off-season, going early, getting some form.
“He’s going to be back in the conversation in Australia.”
Andy Roddick loves ‘absurd’ Daniil Medvedev career success
Remarkably, Medvedev did indeed win his 22nd ATP title in a 22nd different venue with his Brisbane triumph.
And Roddick noted of the record: “It’s absurd. It’s also weird because as players, we normally schedule and go back to the place we like to play.
“I won 32 times, and I won most of those tournaments two, three, four times. You like going back to the same places.
“22 tournaments in 22 different cities, that is the most Meddy thing ever. It’s confuse and conquer, his whole ethos.”
You can bring one tennis legend out of retirement. Who do you pick and why?
Former world number one Medvedev will now have his sights set on a first-ever Australian Open title in Melbourne.
He lost the 2021 final to Novak Djokovic, the 2022 final to Rafael Nadal, and the 2024 final to Jannik Sinner.
Those near misses and indeed his shock second round exit in 2025 will need to be put to the back of his mind this time around.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
