Daniil Medvedev has struggled for form recently and is yet to reach a tour-level final in 2025.
The former world number one suffered another shocking defeat in Miami, as Medvedev lost to Jaume Munar in the second round, 2-6, 3-6.
His loss to Munar came off the back of his best result of the season, reaching the Indian Wells semi-finals, scoring impressive wins over Tommy Paul and Arthur Fils.
Medvedev has now fallen out of the ATP top ten, currently residing in 11th place, as he turns his attention to the clay court season.
Ahead of his return to action in Monte-Carlo, one top WTA coach has given his thoughts on comments Medvedev made recently.
Patrick Mouratoglou thinks Daniil Medvedev’s return comments were ‘a bit contradictory’
Speaking on Instagram, Naomi Osaka’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, reacted to Medvedev’s controversial comments on returning serves.
“Daniil [Medvedev] saying that it’s easier to return a 220kmh serve than a 200kmh service, [it’s] interesting because he doesn’t really have that problem, he’s so far behind the baseline he has much more time than a lot of other players who stay closer,” said Mouratoglou.
“He says it’s easier, but by moving so far back, he wants to give himself time, so it’s a bit contradictory.”
Mouratoglou then outlined the three factors that make serves difficult to return.
“1) The speed 2) The accuracy, if you have the speed without the accuracy and the ball comes to your forehand here, [it’s] not that difficult to return 3) The spin,” he said.
“For someone like Daniil, who decides to be very far from the baseline, you say that it’s more difficult when the players serve with a lot of spin because the ball goes extremely far, and him being far, he has to make so many steps to reach the ball.
“So for someone returning from far, I would say a slower serve with more spin is more difficult to return than a fast serve because by being far [from the baseline], they have more time.
“So it makes sense what he says, but it’s because he’s far from the baseline to return.”
How does Daniil Medvedev’s return compare to the rest of the ATP Tour?
Medvedev’s return of serve is one of the most memorable shots in men’s tennis today, as the Russian stands further back than many of his ATP rivals.
It’s also one of the most effective, as the 29-year-old ranks in the top ten for Return Rating over the past 12 months.
| Rank | Name | Return Rating | % 1st Serve return points won | % 1st Serve return points won | % Return games won | % Break points converted |
| 1 | Alex de Minaur | 165.3 | 33.4 | 54.6 | 31.7 | 45.6 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | 162.0 | 33.9 | 54.1 | 31.0 | 43.0 |
| 3 | Tommy Paul | 160.8 | 33.8 | 53.6 | 29.7 | 43.7 |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | 157.8 | 32.9 | 53.8 | 28.9 | 42.2 |
| 5 | Jannik Sinner | 156.5 | 31.2 | 56.2 | 27.5 | 41.6 |
| 6 | Francisco Cerundolo | 154.4 | 32.5 | 51.7 | 26.6 | 43.6 |
| 7 | Mariano Navone | 153.8 | 32.9 | 51.3 | 26.6 | 41.5 |
| 8 | Daniil Medvedev | 153.2 | 32.3 | 52.8 | 26.6 | 41.5 |
| 9 | Sebastian Baez | 152.1 | 32.4 | 51.0 | 27.4 | 41.3 |
| 10 | Tomas Machac | 150.7 | 29.5 | 51.6 | 24.7 | 44.9 |
Sandwiched between the Argentine pair of Mariano Navone and Sebastian Baez, Medvedev currently sits in eighth place with a Return Rating of 153.2.
Medvedev does deserve credit for being the tallest player in the top ten, as the best returners on tour are often some of the sport’s shortest players.
- 1. Alex de Minaur – 6ft 0
- 2. Carlos Alcaraz – 6ft 0
- 3. Tommy Paul – 6ft 1
- 4. Novak Djokovic – 6ft 2
- 5. Jannik Sinner – 6ft 3
- 6. Francisco Cerundolo – 6ft 1
- 7. Mariano Navone – 5ft 10
- 8. Daniil Medvedev – 6ft 6
- 9. Sebastian Baez – 5ft 7
- 10. Tomas Machac – 6ft 0
It remains to be seen if Medvedev can use the shot to his advantage as he looks to make a swift return to the world’s top ten.
Medvedev will next compete at the Monte-Carlo Masters event, which begins on April 6.
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