‘Excited’ Daniil Medvedev reveals the key improvement which allowed for first title in 2 years
Daniil Medvedev believes he has ‘regained confidence’ within himself after capturing his first title in more than two years, regarding new team dynamics as the main catalyst for success.
The Russian lifted the trophy at the ATP 250 event in Almaty with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Corentin Moutet in the showpiece match.
Medvedev had been on a 29-month title drought, with the 2023 Rome Masters being the last event in which he was the last man standing.
As a result, the former world No 1 is just under 400 ranking points from returning to the world’s top 10.
“When I started talking to various people, I was looking for someone who saw tennis the way I do, and who knew that completely changing my tennis is impossible,” analysed Medvedev during an interview with the Russian media outlet Bolshe.
“And it’s not even necessary: for a long time, I was in the top 10 and reached number one. I needed to improve some details.
“Keeping the same foundation but making small adjustments. That’s what Thomas (Johannsson) and Rohan (Goetzke) are working on; there isn’t a stroke or something in my game that has changed dramatically.
“They pointed out a couple of things that have helped me: the serve, the return in important moments, volleys and net play, my energy has changed, I have regained confidence in myself, and that is the most important thing.
“That’s why I feel like I’m recovering some shots: for example, the serve or playing at the net. I always knew how to execute these shots, but I just needed the confidence to do it.”
As Medvedev hinted at, he separated from his head coach Gilles Cervara – an individual with whom he had worked with for eight successful years.
The move came after a fourth consecutive match loss at the Grand Slams, including a dramatic five-set loss to Benjamin Bonzi at the US Open just days before the announcement of the split.
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Prior to the title lift, Medvedev also reached his first hard-court Masters 1000 semi-final since Indian Wells 2024 – losing to finalist Arthur Rinderknech.
Despite the success in Almaty, the 2021 US Open champion is remaining realistic about his prospects heading into 2026.
“Honestly, I think the fans are more excited than I am (smiles),” joked the Russian.
“I am someone who lives in the present, and even a bit in the future: I am very happy to have recovered this version of my tennis, and that’s why I have won this title, but I think: ‘Okay, now let’s go to Vienna, let’s aim for more.’ ”
“I want to play well at the end of this year, I want to have a good preseason… for me, I wasn’t excited about thinking that I had won a title after two years; I was excited about having regained my tennis level against very tough rivals. It was also my first tournament with my two daughters, which makes me very happy.”
