Daniil Medvedev will be looking for revenge at the 2025 Australian Open, having thrown away the title last time out.
Medvedev led Jannik Sinner by two sets last January, with the Italian coming from behind to win his first Grand Slam title.
The Russian now has three Australian Open final losses to his name in his career, along with two at the US Open.
Medvedev did, however, taste Grand Slam victory at the 2021 US Open, while he has previously topped the ATP Tour rankings.
But the 28-year-old has since fallen to fifth place, with Medvedev failing to win any tour-level titles in 2024.
Spencer Segura predicts Daniil Medvedev to ‘disappear quickly’
That worrying run of form has certainly caught the attention of Spencer Segura, who was the doubles partner of Jimmy Connors.
“Medvedev is a perplexing guy to me,” Segura said on the Advantage Connors podcast. “Why he plays wrong all the time.
“That guy, what kind of athlete is he at his height? He refuses to come in on return of second serve off of anybody on the baseline, he will not do it.
READ MORE: Daniil Medvedev admits what he struggled with most during the 2024 season
“That’s why he will disappear quickly when he does start to slow because you can’t play that way when you’re older.
“He needs to look at [Roger] Federer. He changed his game and started coming in. He became Mr Chip and Charge after 28 or 29.
“Medvedev needs to return the second serve from inside, he has a great return. He needs to play more aggressively.”
He ranked seventh in 2024 for his ATP Tour return rating of 156.5, and seventh for percentage of second serve return points won with 52.8%.
His percentage of break points converted figure of 44% meanwhile ranked second, behind only Alex de Minaur’s 45.1%.
| Rank | Player | Return rating | % 1st serve return points won | % 2nd serve return points won | % return games won | % break points converted |
| 1 | Alex de Minaur | 165.6 | 33.0% | 55.9% | 31.6% | 45.1% |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | 162.2 | 34.4% | 54.3% | 30.8% | 42.7% |
| 3 | Jannik Sinner | 158.4 | 31.7% | 56.1% | 28.3% | 42.3% |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | 157.7 | 32.6% | 54.7% | 29.0% | 41.4% |
| 5 | Tommy Paul | 157.2 | 33.8% | 52.2% | 28.6% | 42.6% |
| 6 | Mariano Navone | 156.9 | 33.4% | 51.9% | 28.5% | 43.1% |
| 7 | Daniil Medvedev | 156.5 | 32.2% | 52.8% | 27.5% | 44.0% |
| 8 | Sebastian Baez | 152.6 | 33.2% | 51.1% | 27.4% | 40.9% |
| 9 | Jaume Munar | 151.1 | 34.5% | 51.6% | 27.3% | 37.7% |
| 10 | Jack Draper | 149.3 | 29.7% | 51.0% | 24.8% | 43.8% |
What ATP Tour titles has Daniil Medvedev won?
Medvedev is certainly at risk of falling further behind the current star names such as Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
But one advantage he does have over the young pair is experience, which should help the Russian when times are tough, likely when he goes deep into major tournaments.
Medvedev’s glittering career should also help remind him that he has been there and done it all before, with the 28-year-old currently on 20 ATP Tour titles.
Worryingly, however, 2024 represented his first season without a title, having won at least one every year since 2018.
| Year | Titles | Tournaments |
| 2023 | 5 | ATP Masters 1,000 Rome, ATP Masters 1,000 Miami, Dubai, Doha, Rotterdam |
| 2022 | 2 | Vienna, Los Cabos |
| 2021 | 4 | US Open, ATP Masters 1,000 Canada, Mallorca, Marseille |
| 2020 | 2 | Nitto ATP Finals, ATP Masters 1,000 Paris |
| 2019 | 4 | ATP Masters 1,000 Shanghai, St. Petersburg, ATP Masters 1,000 Cincinnati, Sofia |
| 2018 | 3 | Tokyo, Winston-Salem, Sydney |
A change in style could, therefore, very well be what is required for the world number five to get back to winning ways in 2025.
His season certainly finished disappointingly, with Medvedev failing to make it out of the group stages at the ATP Finals.
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