Daniil Medvedev warned he has ‘run his race’ as doubt cast over ‘lucky’ US Open star
Former world No 1 doubles player Rennae Stubbs believes Daniil Medvedev has “run his race”, while others feel Ben Shelton missed his one chance to win a Grand Slam.
In 2021, Medvedev won his sole major at the US Open, reached the Australian Open final, and finished the year with a win percentage of 82. Nowadays, he is under 70%.
In total, the former world No 1 has reached six Grand Slam finals, the last of which was Down Under in 2024. Since then, the Russian has become a less prominent player at the top of the game.
His last major quarter-final was at the 2024 US Open, and last year, he suffered three first-round losses at the slams. While his Dubai Open triumph was impressive in February, and he backed that up with a final run at Indian Wells, the 30-year-old doesn’t have the aura he once did.
Medvedev is still seventh in the ATP Tour rankings and eighth in the Race; it seems unlikely he will challenge for the biggest tournaments again. That is certainly the view of Serena Williams’ coach, Stubbs, who watched as the 6ft 6in player lost in straight sets to Frances Tiafoe at this year’s US Open in the fourth round.
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She said on her podcast, “I think Daniil sort of run his race. I kept hoping that maybe he would come through here at the US Open. I just think there’s a disconnect now with him with getting through to the latter ends of slams anymore.
“I hope I’m wrong. I would love to see him get back again. I don’t see him doing it at the French [Open] and I don’t see him doing it at Wimbledon, maybe at the US Open or the Australian Open.”
One man who does seem to be on the up is Shelton. The 23-year-old made it to the final of the US Open, where he lost to Alexander Zverev, but beat the returning Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set epic in the last eight.
He is up to a career-high ranking of fourth and is third in the Race. Despite that, Stubbs’ co-host Caitlin Thompson feels Shelton won’t make another Grand Slam final as a fully fit Alcaraz handles him, and Jannik Sinner and Zverev are levels above him, too.
She said, “Ben Shelton made a final. How soon can he get back? I worry a little bit.
“I don’t [think he’ll be back in a major final]. I think he had the best draw possible. And I think going through a compromised Carlos Alcaraz was still a great feat, but a little bit lucky. And I think the [Zverev four set] match was not close. And it shows that the level is not close.
“The levels between Zverev and the top two (Alcaraz and Sinner) is not close. And then, obviously, if Zverev’s on and those two aren’t, he’s by far, I think, the best. The draw for me was super strange, just because I felt like a couple of contenders who really could have had their moment didn’t step up and do it.”
Stubbs disagreed, stating Shelton can return to a major final one day. Whether that happens remains to be seen.
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