Daniil Medvedev has arrived on the tennis throne. This Monday he will replace Novak Djokovic as world number 1. A look back at an amazing way to the top.
At the age of 26, Daniil Medvedev has reached his goal. As the third Russian after Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin, he climbs the tennis throne and replaces Novak Djokovic after more than two years. On the way to the top, things don’t always go as planned.
Second guard at the juniors
As a junior, Daniil Medvedev is not one of the very best at his age, even though he was once ranked number 13 and won a total of eight titles. At the Grand Slams, he never makes it past the third round. Many still have no idea where the lanky Russian’s path will lead.
What is remarkable is what Medvedev later reveals about himself as a teenager: “I hated Roger Federer. I just couldn’t watch him win over and over again. I cheered for the other players from the first round because I had that attitude.”
A first scandal shortly before the ATP debut
As a 20-year-old and world number 260, Medvedev caused a scandal at the Challenger tournament in Savannah in April 2016. After the chair umpire overruled a decision by the linesman to Medvedev’s disadvantage, the Russian can be heard over the microphones. “I know you’re friends. I’m sure about it, »said Medvedev about opponent Young and the referee, both of whom are dark-skinned. The result: Medvedev is disqualified – on the grounds of “serious unsportsmanlike conduct when he questioned the impartiality of the chair umpire because of the color of her skin”.
Shortly thereafter in May, Medvedev made his debut on the ATP tour in singles, which he lost in three sets to Guido Pella in Nice.
First victory in a Grand Slam – and the next scandal
A little over a year later, Medvedev clinched his first victory in a Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon – against Stan Wawrinka of all things, whom he surprisingly defeated in four sets in the first round. Ruben Bemelmans in round two, on the other hand, means Medvedev’s end of the line, losing not only the match but also his nerves.
Immediately after losing the match point, Medvedev throws coins in front of the referee’s chair to suggest bribery. The Russian has to pay a fine of 14,500 dollars.
The marriage proposal as the initial spark
Right at the start of the 2018 season in Sydney, Medvedev grabbed his first ATP title thanks to a final victory over local hero De Minaur. In March, a heated duel in Miami with Tsitsipas caused a stir, which Medvedev won in three sets. Despite the victory, he wants to attack his opponent after the game because the Greek is said to have insulted him with the words “shit Russian”. The referee must intervene to prevent fisticuffs.
In late summer, Medvedev finally made his breakthrough. After the triumph in August in Winston-Salem, Medvedev followed up with the next tournament victory in Tokyo in October. Much later, he reveals his recipe for success at the time, which is related to his marriage in September 2018.
“Before I applied, I was ranked 65th. And then I won two big tournaments in ten months and got into the top 10, »Medvedev also thanks his wife Daria. In fact, the Russian jumped from 68th to 16th in the world rankings from August to November.
Medvedev continued the steady rise in the following season. He is again in top form on the North American tour in late summer, reaching four finals in a row in Washington, Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open. In New York he narrowly missed his first Grand Slam title against Rafael Nadal, but that’s not the only reason why he made headlines.
He lived up to his bad boy name with his third-round win over Feliciano Lopez. First he rips the cloth out of the hand of a ball boy, then he shows the spectators the middle finger. The audience retaliates and boos the Russians at regular intervals. “When you go to sleep tonight, you should know that I only won because of you,” is Medvedev’s ironic counterattack in the winner’s interview.
Shortly thereafter, Medvedev caused a stir at the ATP Cup when, after a dispute with the referee, he hammered his racket twice on his chair.
The triumph at the ATP Finals 2020
After a short interim low, Medvedev proved again at the end of 2020 that he is one of the great candidates to succeed the “Big Three” in world tennis. With victories over Zverev, Djokovic, Schwartzman, Nadal and Thiem, he triumphed for the first time at the ATP Finals. At the start of the new season, he sniffs the first major title again in Australia, but has to bow to Djokovic in the final. A few weeks later, Medvedev rises to world number 2.
The first Grand Slam title
At the last major tournament of the year, it works for the Russian. In impressive style and with just a single set loss, he marches to victory at the US Open 2020. Even serial winner Djokovic cannot do anything against the unleashed Medvedev. At the end of the year, Medvedev did not lose a set at the final tournament of the Davis Cup and led his country to the title.
Medvedev is a hair’s breadth from this year in Melbourne and only misses the second Grand Slam title en suite because he can’t get a 2-0 set lead against Rafael Nadal. Because Djokovic cannot defend his title after being denied entry to Australia, Medvedev is making up decisive ground in the race for the tennis throne. With the semi-finals in Mexico this week, Medvedev finally makes the transfer of power perfect.
But Medvedev can’t get rid of his hot temper as number 1 in the world. He recently proved that in the semi-finals of the Australian Open with another attack on the referee. Even if it costs him sympathy, it is precisely that characteristic that has led the hotspur to where he is today: on the tennis throne.
