US Open: Can Former Champion Daniil Medvedev Revive His Career?

When Daniil Medvedev beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets to stop the Serb’s bid for the Calendar Slam and win his first ever Slam, it looked certain to be only the first of several Major titles. Four years and a couple of heartbreaking losses from 2-0 up in Grand Slam finals, Daniil Medvedev looks further than ever from a second Slam title. He sits at #13 in the rankings, 20th in the Race to Turin and hasn’t won a single title since Rome 2023. His serve seems to have lost all its sting and he’s no longer the consistent force from the baseline he used to be. It may seem like a harsh judgement, but at the highest level, Medvedev looks like his race is run.

If he is to prove those doubts wrong, there’s no better place to do it than the venue of his biggest career success; even aside from his dominant run to the title in 2021, he made his first Slam final in New York in 2019 in a memorable fortnight where, after several run-ins with the crowd, he ended up narrowly losing a five setter to Rafael Nadal. He also reached the final in 2023 after a great win over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals but was comfortably beaten by Djokovic. Still, there is no doubt that this is Medvedev’s most successful tournament and his best chance to turn things around.

In the first round, he faces the man who beat him in the first round at Wimbledon: Benjamin Bonzi. That alone shows that his draw isn’t an easy one and that’s without even going into possible clashes with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round and Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round. If Medvedev is to make a run here, he will have to find something at least resembling his best level. The one thing going for him is that at this point no one really expects much from him – so much so that having him as a fourth round opponent hasn’t hardly been mentioned as a factor in Carlos Alcaraz hopes of reclaiming the US Open crown.

But Daniil Medvedev might just be one of the more interesting stories to follow at this year’s US Open – provided he doesn’t crash out in the first round. He is, after all, a former-world #1 and Major champion and when he is at his best, he is able to suffocate opponents with his court-coverage and disrupt their rhythm with expert changes of pace. New York has seen that player before, who can say for certain New York won’t seem him again.