Daniil Medvedev has enjoyed a fair amount of success Down Under over the years.
The Russian clinched the first title of his career at the 2018 Sydney International, where he overcame home hope Alex de Minaur in the final to hoist the trophy.
At the Australian Open, Medvedev has reached the final three times, the first of which came in 2021, when he lost to Novak Djokovic.
He was agonisingly close to winning the crown at Melbourne Park in 2022, but Rafael Nadal completed one of the greatest comebacks of all time to deny him in the final.
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Medvedev’s most recent trip to the Australian Open final was two years ago, with the former world number one suffering another near miss in the 2024 championship match to Jannik Sinner.
Following his quarterfinal victory at the Brisbane International, Medvedev was asked what it is about playing in Australia that he enjoys so much.
Daniil Medvedev says playing in Australia is ‘a bit stressful’
The former world number one said: “You know what? Never talked about this, but I think the fact that it’s after preseason.
“It’s a bit stressful, because you haven’t played for like one month and a half, you’re probably trying [a] few new things.
“And when I say ‘new things,’ not like serve and volley on every point, but you kind of try to put the things you worked on, maybe forehand a bit faster or stuff like this, in the match.
“So a tiny bit [of] stress. Is it going to work, maybe I’m gonna miss, maybe I’m gonna be scared or something.
“But at the same time, I love this preseason work. I usually work hard physically. I work hard tennis-wise, mentally, and I usually come out better after the preseason.
“When you play Turin, you have a shorter preseason, so this is the first time in probably six, seven years I had a longer preseason, and working great.”
Daniil Medvedev’s campaign at the Australian Open last year
Last year, Medvedev recorded his worst finish at the Australian Open since 2018, in what marked the start of a largely disappointing season.
He narrowly came through his first-round matchup versus Kasidit Samrej, having been forced to a fifth set with the world number 418.
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In the second round, however, Medvedev was beaten by American teenager Learner Tien, who triumphed in a decisive tiebreak to claim the statement victory.
Though it was an incredibly early exit, Medvedev’s run at the Australian Open ended up being his best at a Grand Slam in 2025.
The former US Open champion crashed out in the first round at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.
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