Daniil Medvedev ended his season without any joy. The Russian champion did not win a single title in 2024 and gave the feeling of being very far from his best level for most of the year.
The former world No. 1 has played some good tournaments, but his game is no longer enough against opponents like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The Italian ace prevented him from winning the Australian Open, despite Daniil being ahead two sets to nil in the final. That painful loss also affected him in the following months and the inertia of his rivalry with Jannik was totally reversed.
The player from Moscow defeated Sinner in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships, but was beaten by the world number 1 at the Miami Open, at the US Open, at the Shanghai Rolex Masters and at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Medvedev also struggled a lot against Alcaraz, who prevailed over the Russian in the final of the Indian Wells Masters 1000, in the semifinal of Wimbledon and in the semifinal of the Beijing ATP 500.
The 2021 US Open champion showed signs of nervousness and frustration during 2024, suffering numerous unexpected defeats and often complaining about the balls used by the ATP. Daniil is convinced that this type of ball benefits players like Sinner and…