Finalists in 2021, 2022, 2024
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Daniil Medvedev
Best ATP ranking 1
- Country Russia
- Age 28 years
- Size 1.98 m
- Jeu Left-handed, two-handed backhand
Distinguishing feature: On return of serve, he adopts one of the most secluded positions in the history of tennis, with his feet often glued to the tarpaulins.
Profile & career
Russian Daniil Medvedev is one of the best players in the world and one of the most consistent players of the 2020s, having won the 2021 US Open and the 2020 ATP Finals. With his coach Gilles Cervara and his technical staff, he has been training permanently at the Mouratoglou Academy between tournaments since autumn 2020.
The prototype of the modern player – tall but very mobile despite his size – Medvedev has an atypical technique, but this does not prevent him from having one of the best returns and one of the best backhands in the world.
Daniil Medvedev began playing tennis at the age of nine. He progressed in Russia before moving to France in 2014. He exploded into the public eye in 2019 by flying through the summer hard court season to a 2019 US Open final lost in five sets to Rafael Nadal. He climbed to world number one in 2022 and remains one of the most consistent members of the Top 5, capable of eliminating Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 US Open or Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon 2024.
MEDVEDEV'S TRACK RECORD
Junior career: Eight titles and 13th place in the world
In 2010, the young Daniil Medvedev won his third junior tournament by emerging from qualifying. In 2012 and 2013, he won six titles, including four in a row. But he never got beyond the third round of a Grand Slam. Medvedev nevertheless reached 13th in the world in 2014.
ATP career: US Open 2021 and world No. 1 ranking
In 2017, the young Daniil Medvedev broke into the world’s Top 50 for the first time after a promising grass-court tour that included a semi-final in Eastbourne. He exploded in 2019 with four consecutive finals on the American tour, culminating in victory at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 and the US Open final, which he lost to Rafael Nadal in five sets. Medvedev even ended the season with another Masters 1000 title in Shanghai after a final victory over Alexander Zverev. In 2020, he will win the ATP Finals. All he needs now are two things: a Grand Slam title and the number one ranking in the world. He achieved the first by winning the US Open in 2021, denying Novak Djokovic a Grand Slam in the final (6-4, 6-4, 6-4). He became world number one after his semi-final defeat in Acapulco a few months later. Since then, Daniil Medvedev has remained one of the strongest players on the ATP circuit, consistently finishing in the Top 10 for the last six years (2019-2024).
ATP honours list: 20 titles, 18 finals
Since his debut, Daniil Medvedev has won no fewer than twenty titles, including the US Open (2021), six Masters 1000 (Cincinnati 2019, Shanghai 2019, Paris Bercy 2020, Canada 2021, Miami 2023, Rome 2023) and end-of-season Masters. To this can be added eighteen finals, five Grand Slam (3 Australian Open, 2 US Open) and one Masters (figures based on the end of the 2024 season).
MEDVEDEV &
THE GRAND SLAMS
Daniil Medvedev won the 2021 US Open after a masterpiece in the final against Novak Djokovic. The only major tournament in which he has not reached the last four is the French Open. He has twice come within a few games of winning the Australian Open, in 2022 against Rafael Nadal and in 2024 against Jannik Sinner. Medvedev has built up a reputation as a player allergic to clay, which is no longer entirely credible since his victory at the Rome Masters 1000 in 2023.
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Quarter-finalists in 2021
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Semi-finalists in 2023 and 2024
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Victory in 2021
Statistics & records
- 1st player to become world n°1 outside the Big 4 since 2004
- 6th player to win 6 different Masters 1000
Its link with
the Mouratoglou Academy
Daniil Medvedev has been training on the Mouratoglou Academy courts since the end of 2020, with his coach Gilles Cervara, his physical trainer Eric Hernandez and, since 2024, former world No. 6 Gilles Simon. He does all his physical and tennis training there between Grand Slams. He also played in the only UTS event to be held on clay in 2021.
HIS GAME
Daniil Medvedev is the perfect counter-attacker. He doesn’t try to extend his territory and make his mark on the match with winning points or power. His consistency, tactical intelligence and innate competitive qualities mean that he knows how to make his opponents make mistakes. In particular, he is capable of taking control of the point in two or three strokes after a return of serve that is often executed several metres behind the line. His backhand is one of the best in the world. Even his volley, his objective weakness, is average on the professional circuit and is not a vulnerable area of the game.
Personal Life
& Interests
Daniil Medvedev is married to Daria Chernyshkova (a former junior tennis player), with whom he has a daughter Alisa, born in Nice. Medvedev enjoys reading, playing chess and has even taken part in e-sport competitions. He studied physics and mathematics at secondary school and has a coaching diploma after concentrating on tennis. He is a big fan of the Bayern Munich football team. Medvedev has the distinction of speaking near-perfect French.
