Daniil Medvedev accepts that he needs to improve to challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, but he is not open to changing any team members.
Medvedev's season is officially over after he failed to progress to the semifinal of the ATP Finals. Jannik Sinner defeated him in his final match of the season-ending tournament to complete a clean sweep of the group.
2024 is the first time since 2017 that Medvedev failed to win a title. Surprisingly, his last triumph was on clay at the 2023 Italian Open in Rome when he beat Holger Rune in the final.
Medvedev's struggles against Sinner and Alcaraz are the most significant reason for his title drought. The 28-year-old's last four final defeats since the Italian Open came against those two.
The 2021 US Open champion has also lost nine consecutive hard-court matches against Sinner. (including the Six Kings Slam exhibition) Having struggled in his early meetings with Medvedev, Sinner now dominates their contests.
Medvedev argues that the balls used during matches partially explain those struggles against Sinner and Alcaraz. He says how much slower they are compared to a few years ago helps them because they possess more power from the baseline.
The six-time Grand Slam runner-up also made some concerning remarks after losing to Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals. Medvedev stated that the slow balls and how much they disadvantaged him reduced his desire to play tennis, and he was tired of fighting against the odds.
Although he realizes that something needs to change in his game to compete effectively against Sinner and Alcaraz, Medvedev will not replace any team members. Gilles Cervara has been his coach since 2017.
In a press conference after losing to Sinner, Medvedev outlined his plan to work with his current team to find a solution in his preparation, hoping that can help him compete more effectively against the world No. 1 and Alcaraz in 2025.
"In the team, no. But in the preparation, for sure we're going to try to I think really build something a little bit new. I see right now that it's not good enough, especially against guys like Jannik and Carlos. I'm not sure I will be able to become better, but I will try. I will try to become better in some parts."
"Again, I feel like if we talk purely tactic, I feel like I played fine. It's just execution. You need to not miss, go, go, go for it. I didn't manage to do it. That's what we're going to work a lot in pre-season, to build a little bit better version of myself, which not easy when you're 28 years old."
Medvedev also insists he is not worried about failing to secure a title this year because tournaments are very tough to win due to the competition.
"Yeah, about titles... I'm not that concerned. As I say, every tournament is tough to win, but I could have gotten some different tournaments. I basically played three 500s this year and all the rest was Masters and Grand Slams."
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