Daniil Medvedev endured one of the toughest years of his career in 2025, and will be hoping to put that behind him in the new season.
And, having already reached the semi-final of one ATP event in Brisbane, the Russian seems set to enjoy far more success in the coming months.
His rapid drop came as a shock to most of the tennis world who, whilst they may have expected some downturn in results, could never have predicted just how self-destructive he would become.
Daniil Medvedev won just one Grand Slam match all year in 2025, losing in the first round in Paris, Wimbledon and New York.
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Because of this form and his subsequent ranking drop, he has now outlined how his professional relationship with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has changed.
Daniil Medvedev speaks about Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Speaking to reporters after beating Kamil Majchrzak to reach the Brisbane Open semi-finals, he was asked about how he plans to catch the top two-ranked players on the men’s tour.
As always, Medvedev replied with supreme honesty, noting: “I will be honest, when I was top three, top four, I was for sure thinking a lot what to do with Carlos and Jannik, where I can improve and this and that. So for sure also before 2024. Sorry, 2025 season.
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“Then I never played them last year because I played horrible, and I never got to the rounds to play them (smiling). So this preseason, I didn’t think at all about them. I was, like, okay, how do I get back to the level I can play to first of all beating the other guys, and then maybe if I get to play him, I will talk to my new team and we see what we can do.
“So that’s all I can say kind of, because yeah, again, if I get to play them, it’s good, because last year I didn’t play good enough to meet them.”
Medvedev has already assessed his chances at the Australian Open earlier this week, and this string of wins will surely do his preparation no harm as he seeks to better his second-round exit from last year.
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Medvedev will be desperate to kickstart his new campaign with a title, particularly with how long his last trophy drought lasted.
2023 saw the 29-year-old win five different tournaments, including two Masters 1000 events.
It marked a hugely successful year, but one he could not follow up on in 2024. He went the entire campaign without a triumph, losing in the final of the Australian Open and Indian Wells.
This barren run seeped into 2025, where he finally ended his 882-day trophy drought last October, winning the title in Almaty.
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