Daniil Medvedev admits to having had ‘a lot’ of shoulder pain for 12 months, including US Open final run
Daniil Medvedev has admitted to having experienced ‘a lot’ of shoulder pain for ‘365 days’, beginning from the middle of 2023, which heavily affected his serve.
It is well known that the Russian has struggled to find consistency on the tour since lifting the Rome title in 2023, where he defeated Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Holger Rune along the way.
Indeed, Medvedev has failed to lift a trophy since his triumph at the Foro Italico and has lost all six finals which he has contested.
As a result, in March, the 2021 US Open champion dropped out of the world’s top 10 and now occupies the 14th spot.
However, Medvedev has recently further disclosed details on a shoulder injury which lingered for 12 months, starting around a similar time to his Rome victory.
“If I remember correctly, it would be from mid-2023 to mid-2024,” began the Russian, during a Washington press conference.
“It was painful almost all the time. Sometimes more. Sometimes less.
“It’s not easy because in many training sessions, you want to work on the serve, but I didn’t because I was afraid of aggravating it further.
“However, we found a way to work on it, and I’ve been pain-free for quite a while now, since mid-2024.
“When it happened, it also bothered me in the right arm. In fact, I felt like I lacked general energy as well. Whenever you have some pain, it’s not easy to play with it.
“Eventually, you try to cope with the pain.”
The former world No 1 made the comments after his second-round 6-3, 6-2 victory over Yibing Wu at the 2025 Citi DC Open, a match in which he showed flashes of his astounding hard-court prowess.
A round prior, he had survived a tight three-set battle against the big-serving American Reilly Opelka.
“After a couple of days in Ibiza, you realise that the only way forward is to work hard,” Medvedev analysed, referring to his post-Wimbledon break.
“If it doesn’t work out, then that’s life. Life is ups and downs with some bumps on the road. I sometimes take a good example of some players who are 30 and doing amazing results.
“Some players after 30 just drop down. So, anything is possible. I just need to do my best.
“I feel like maybe some things I could have done better, like on the practice court. Maybe, I’m not sure about it. But if I want to try and be better, I need to do some things better.”
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Medvedev has failed to reach a Grand Slam final in 24 months when he reached the showpiece match at the US Open in 2023.
In the semi-final, the Russian ended a five-set losing streak to defending champion Carlos Alcaraz via a 7-6(3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win.
However, the 27-year-old, ultimately, fell to world No 1 Novak Djokovic, 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3.
Unbeknownst to much of the public, Medvedev’s shoulder issues had already been troubling him for a few months by this time, with the 2023 run at the New York event also being hindered – despite the admirable result.
“I managed to reach the final of the 2023 US Open, which was an incredible stretch on my part, but I had shoulder pain every day,” disclosed the Russian.
“So, it’s not the end of the world, but surely it’s better to live without pain, and right now I have none.”
After his campaign in Washington, Medvedev will play the Cincinnati Open – facing either a qualifier or world No 46 Luciano Darderi in his opening match.
