Daniil Medvedev has struggled throughout 2025, suffering a long list of shocking defeats.
The Russian endured the joint-worst Grand Slam campaign of his career, winning just one match across the Australian Open (1), French Open (0), Wimbledon (0), and US Open (0).
Once ranked number one in the world, Medvedev now finds himself in 18th place and is on course to fall out of the top 20.
When Medvedev lost to Benjamin Bonzi in the first round of the US Open, he split with Gilles Cervara, the coach he won the title with four years earlier.
As the Russian begins a new coaching relationship with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, his countryman has criticized his work ethic, questioning whether he is training as hard as he should…
Yevgeny Kafelnikov doesn’t think Daniil Medvedev is training hard enough and rules out coaching him
During the debut episode of ‘Hardcourt’, Russian tennis royalty, Elena Dementieva and Yevgeny Kafelnikov were discussing Medvedev’s attitude towards training.
“You keep saying that he has started training less. How do you know?” asked Dementieva.
“You can answer the question, in terms of his shape, do you see the trend going up or down?” replied Kafelnikov.
The 51-year-old, who won two Grand Slam titles and held the number one ranking for six weeks during his career, claimed he has seen this happen before, with himself.
“The question is, what are his long-term goals? I’m sure that if he wants to be in the top five, the way he trains… trust me, I’ve been in tennis my whole life, I was in the same situation, at 28, 29 years old, I gave up on training, I didn’t train,” said Kafelnikov.
“That’s why all my physical resources that I had at 19, 20, 21, were all gone. I just accepted that I wouldn’t be able to win ATP tournaments anymore.”
Kafelnikov said he wants to be wrong about Medvedev, but is concerned about his form as of late.
“I want to be wrong about Daniil [Medvedev], let me be wrong, but that is how I see it,” he said.
“I draw parallels. I went down such a steep slope in terms of rankings and in terms of victories. Daniil hasn’t won a title in three years. This is not a warning sign; this is a wake-up call.
“A player with his experience, with his capabilities, not winning a title, even an ATP 250, is incomprehensible.”
Medvedev hasn’t won a tour-level title since the 2023 Italian Open, despite playing in six finals since.
Daniil Medvedev’s winless run in ATP finals
- 2023 US Open F – LOSS vs Novak Djokovic
- 2023 China Open F – LOSS vs Jannik Sinner
- 2023 Vienna Open F – LOSS vs Jannik Sinner
- 2024 Australian Open F – LOSS vs Jannik Sinner
- 2024 Indian Wells F – LOSS vs Carlos Alcaraz
- 2025 Halle Open F – LOSS vs Alexander Bublik
The 29-year-old is hoping to return to winning ways with his new coaching team by his side, although Kafelnikov isn’t convinced they will make a difference.
“Everyone says that when a new coach arrives, everything will change. It won’t if he himself doesn’t want to change,” he said.
“You could give him Darren Cahill [and it wouldn’t change].”
Finally, Kafelnikov responded when asked if he would ever consider coaching Medvedev if he got the call.
“No, because Daniil won’t accept what I’m telling him,” he said.
Kafelnikov isn’t convinced the good times will return for Medvedev, but how is the 2021 US Open champion getting on in China?
Daniil Medvedev prepares for tricky Alejandro Davidovich Fokina test in Beijing
Playing his first tournament since splitting with Cervara, Medvedev lost in round two of the Hangzhou Open to home favorite Yibing Wu.
Returning in Beijing for the China Open ATP 500 event, Medvedev got off to a strong start, taking down Britain’s Cameron Norrie in straight sets.
He will now return to play Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in round two.
The pair have met five times previously, with Medvedev leading their head-to-head 4-1.
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2024 Canadian Open – 2R | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | Daniil Medvedev | 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 |
| 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships – QF | Daniil Medvedev | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 2023 Indian Wells – QF | Daniil Medvedev | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 6-3, 7-5 |
| 2023 Rotterdam Open – 1R | Daniil Medvedev | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 |
| 2021 Madrid Open – 2R | Daniil Medvedev | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 |
However, while their head-to-head record tells one story, their 2025 campaigns tell another, as Davidovich Fokina will likely set foot on court as the favorite.
Only time will tell who will emerge victorious and book their place in the 2025 China Open quarterfinals, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
Medvedev and Davidovich Fokina will play their second-round match on Sunday, September 28.
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