Daniil Medvedev makes Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner claim as he rates his year

Ewan West
Daniil Medvedev at the 2023 ATP Finals
Daniil Medvedev at the 2023 ATP Finals

Daniil Medvedev has declared he will have to improve “non-stop” to keep competing with Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as his rivals “play only better and better.”

The world No 3 was also “happy” and “proud” after his “great” 2023 season drew to a close, while signalling his intention to “go for more” next year.

Medvedev fell to a 3-6, 7-6(4), 1-6 defeat to world No 4 Sinner in the semi-finals of the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin on Saturday. In the group stage, he earned straight-set victories over Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev to qualify for the last four, before losing 4-6, 4-6 to Alcaraz in his third round-robin match.

The 27-year-old has won more matches than any other player on the ATP Tour this year as he finished his season with an impressive 66-18 (78.6%) record.

The Russian won five titles, including Masters 1000 events in Miami and Rome, and was a runner-up at four other tournaments – most notably the US Open.

Speaking after his loss to Sinner, Medvedev assessed his 2023 campaign and admitted he will have to keep improving to keep pace with his top four rivals.

“Well, I’m happy. I’m happy. Was a great season. Some ups, some downs for sure. Big up was in the beginning of the season. I [am] still really maybe even proud of myself because before Rotterdam I dropped out of top 10,” he reflected in his post-match press conference.

“Was tough. Before Rotterdam on practice, I was feeling terrible, awful. I couldn’t put the ball in the court. Then I lost the first set against Davidovich [Fokina]. I still remember. Then after the first set, everything went to the better. Titles, finals, stuff like this. Generally, I’m happy with what I achieved this season.

“I’m going to try to learn from it and try to go for more in the next season because, as we say, Sinner, Alcaraz, Novak – they play only better and better. If you want to try to stay on the top, [you] have to improve non-stop.”

The 2021 US Open champion also hailed the recent form of Sinner and backed the 22-year-old Italian for major achievements if he maintains his level.

“Very impressed, to be honest. He’s playing very good now. I mean, even today he doesn’t miss much. He can run well. If you give him easy ball, you feel like he moves you over the court. He can volley well. Serve has improved a lot. Right now he’s, let’s call it, riding a wave. You can see it,” said the former world No 1.

“Let’s see how it’s going to be in the final. It’s going to be a great semis, first of all, then the final. Then the question comes, I generally believe if he plays like this, like he played last weeks, all the time, he’s going to have Slams, No 1. Then it comes to how many weeks, how many Slams, stuff like this.

“Sometimes this way ends. The question is how often is he going to ride it. When he’s not on the wave, how good he plays. That’s the way tennis is. But at the moment he is very, very good, and there’s not much more to add.”

READ MORE: Amazing Jannik Sinner statistic showcases his stunning run against elite players