Daniil Medvedev has always stood out for his unconventional approach to tennis, but 2026 brought another campaign that raised eyebrows for different reasons.
While his style is not the most traditional, it has caused problems for some of the game’s elite, helping him to a Grand Slam title, five finals appearances, and two stints as world number one.
Those achievements don’t happen by accident, which makes his form over the past two years even more difficult to explain.
Back in 2023, Medvedev enjoyed a strong season with five titles, including two at Masters 1000 events. But what followed was an 882-day drought that didn’t end until October 2025.
Even so, Medvedev remains clear about his intentions. He’s not ready to walk away from tennis just yet.
Medvedev explains what keeps him motivated on the tour
Speaking in St Petersburg at a recent exhibition match, the 29-year-old explained why his current ranking is actually fuelling his continued presence on the ATP Tour.
“That’s why I keep playing tennis. If I were satisfied with my ranking, I think it would be time to retire.”
He continued with a message of hope: “So I just hope I can play at least as well as I did at the end of this year, because it wasn’t bad.
“But I know I can play even better than at the end of the season in terms of consistency. Because some matches were fantastic. For example, the match against [Alex] De Minaur in the quarter-finals in Shanghai. You can’t play better than that.
How Daniil Medvedev finally captured his first Grand Slam
Medvedev’s journey wasn’t filled with heartbreak at every turn, but he certainly had to put in the work before finally lifting that first major trophy.
Before his breakthrough at the 2021 US Open, he had already come up short in two finals.
The most recent of those losses was in Melbourne, and fittingly, he would have to go through Djokovic again if he was to claim his first title in New York.
This time, though, it was a different story. Medvedev played one of the best matches of his career to win in straight sets and get over the line at last.
Since then, he’s appeared in three more Grand Slam finals – all ending in defeat against either Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Jannik Sinner.
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