Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev: Battle of Flailing Giants

Day 3 of the ATP Qatar Open saw Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas face off in a matchup that, a few years ago, many would have expected to be a semifinal or even a final, and possibly a match between the the top two players. Both players, along with Alexander Zverev, were once considered the leaders of the Next Gen. However, while Zverev has maintained his place at the upper echelons of the game, albeit still yet to win a coveted Major, the other two have somewhat fallen by the wayside in the past two years. This is evidenced by their continued absence from the Top 10, where they were mainstays for many years, with both Medvedev reaching World #1 and Tsitsipas #2. The drop-off has been more pronounced for Tsitsipas, who is currently ranked 33rd in the world. That said, Medvedev, despite being ranked just outside the top 10 at #11, has also been a shadow of his former self, with his struggles peaking last year, when he dropped to as low as #18.

Following both players’ participation in the Rotterdam Open, where they were eliminated early, both came into this tournament, probably with a point to prove. They both easily won their first-round matches. Wednesday’s match pitted both flailing giants against each other for the 15th time, in a matchup that has generally gone the way of the big Russian, who leads their head-to-head 10-4 and probably served as a gauge to see who was on the right track to redemption. The match itself, in the Round of 16, was a stark reminder of where both players now find themselves, as it would once have been a match for the later stages. With the match being played on a hard court and boasting the superior head-to-head record, Medvedev was expected to settle into the match much quicker; it was Tsitsipas, though, who seemed more determined from the off. The match itself was far from a high-quality affair, but the Greek seized a loose 6th service game from Medvedev, and despite passing up two more break opportunities to clinch the first set, was able to serve it out the following game.

The second set started with Medvedev, looking to raise his level; however, it was Tsitsipas who still fashioned the first break point opportunities, this time in the 5th game. Medvedev, this time, fought off his advances to hold, but the Greek was not to be denied, as he created two more break opportunities in Medvedev’s next service game, and this time, was able to clinch it at the first time of asking. A few games later, he stepped up to the line and served out the match. While the Greek mostly held his nerve in the big moments better, in truth, it was a match in which he didn’t have to do much to win. It was a very tame display from what used to be a very resilient player in Medvedev. It further raises questions about whether he has what it takes to return to the summit of the game or if he even has the motivation to do so. As for Tsitsipas, this will no doubt be a morale-boosting win, coming against a player he has notoriously struggled against. He now marches into the quarterfinal and will be hoping he can extend his stay in Qatar.

Medvedev himself must now have a deep introspection. Following his victory at the Brisbane International early this year, it appeared the 30-year-old had turned a corner. It has since, in truth, been a disappointing 2026 season so far. It is also very concerning that he is struggling this much on hard courts, which used to be his bread and butter. He would hope to build some momentum before the clay season kicks off–a surface he is not very fond of. What once seemed like a question of how soon before he is back in the top tier of tennis players is increasingly becoming a question of if he would ever be back to those lofty heights. Time will tell.