Chris Oddo | Monday, August 11, 2025
What’s wrong with Daniil Medvedev? Remember the former world number one, the man who was tall in the Big Three, won the championship on the hard court like their outdated fashion? Has anyone seen that guy?
Cincinnati won’t see Medvedev’s former self appearing when he beat Australia’s Adam Walton 6-7 6-4 6-1 on Sunday.
It’s strange to see this former Sword Saint rank 15th in the world, which is a record of 26-17 this season. One of the most fascinating and entertaining players on the ATP Tour, his nickname “Slim Reaper” won his Wiry Frame and Encanny’s ability to make his quotient standard accuracy and resilience exceed 29 years old. This is not to say that he is Kei Nishikori, 35, nor is he when he goes out, nor is he Gael Monfils, 38.
Medvedev was 1-3 in the 2025 Grand Slam and 11-7 in the Masters event. This is a player who won 60 games in 2021 and 2023 and reached 6 major finals between 2019 and 2024. But he has beaten the top 20 12-20 since early 2024, so his lack of success with the elite is no longer surprising.
Medvedev won several games yesterday against Walton, but the extreme heat shocked him. He suffered during the conversion in court, immersing his head in a water cooler and sitting under an ice pack. In court, he had nothing to give in his decision suit. It happened, but it shouldn’t. There is no excuse, it is a difficult time he has encountered in the last few years as he became one of the best hard players in tennis.
The 2021 U.S. Open champion will go to the U.S. Open next, he is 33-7 years old. If a dose of New York energy doesn’t bring his game to life, we should all worry.
