Daniil Medvedev booked his place in the second round of the China Open after beating Cam Norrie in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
Medvedev’s triumph over Norrie marked his first top-50 win in three months, having last achieved the feat at the Halle Open against Alexander Zverev.
The Russian has endured one of his worst seasons on the ATP Tour to date, and has seen his ranking fall as low as 18th in the world.
After appointing new coaches Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, Medvedev is looking to return to the top of the sport, a challenge he said drives him ‘crazy’.
Daniil Medvedev says tennis ‘drives him crazy’ after win in Beijing
When asked in his post-match press conference how much of a distraction an expanding family has been this year, Medvedev said: “I go a bit far, I act a little bit crazy on the court sometimes.
“When I’m in life, I am calm. On the road, I’m calm. Whatever. I argue with my wife, I’m calm. I go play tennis and I go nuts, I go crazy. Tennis can drive you crazy. It drives me crazy
“You ask me why did I have a bad year? I don’t have the exact answer. It could be my second daughter. It could be my relationship with Gilles [Cervara.
“It could be that I became older and started thinking more than when I was younger. It could be just bad luck or maybe physically I was not feeling well somewhere. You never know.
“So I don’t have an answer to your question about expanding family. I definitely love my two daughters, I love my wife. It’s not a problem for me.
“Even if I play tennis worse somehow because I have a second daughter, I’m happy about it and I don’t care. For sure, I was concerned. I’m still concerned. I’m trying to find a way to show everyone that I’m capable of doing big things again.”
Daniil Medvedev’s next opponent at the 2025 China Open
Medvedev’s next opponent at the China Open comes in the form of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, whom he has played five times before at tour-level events.
The former world number one won four straight matches against Davidovich Fokina, claiming victories in Madrid, Rotterdam, Indian Wells and Dubai.
The Spaniard finally opened his account in their head-to-head at the Canadian Open last year, beating Medvedev in three sets.
Now, the two stars will clash for the sixth time for a place in the quarterfinals of the China Open.
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