Medvedev Reveals He Has 'Little Desire To Play Tennis' In Startling Admission

Daniil Medvedev spoke honestly after his opening match at the 2024 ATP Finals, admitting his desire to play tennis has fallen.

Medvedev's last title was in May 2023. Surprisingly, that came on clay, his least favorite surface by far, at the Italian Open. Eighteen months have passed since the 2021 US Open champion lifted a trophy.

That is a lengthy period for someone in Medvedev's class. However, he performed well in early 2024 by reaching the finals of the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Open, losing to Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz, respectively.

But Medvedev's performances in recent months have dropped. He is currently far below the level on hard-courts that took him to six Grand Slam finals on the surface throughout his successful career.

Medvedev can sometimes be fiery on-court, but his meltdown against Taylor Fritz on the opening day of the ATP Finals was bizarre even by the 28-year-old's standards.

After receiving a time violation for throwing his racket high into the air, Medvedev repeatedly threw it closer to him and deliberately did not catch it after every point on Fritz's service game at 6-4, 4-2 to the American.

Medvedev went on to lose the match 6-4, 6-3. In an interview afterward, the former world No. 1 spoke about not enjoying tennis in the last few months because of slow balls that disadvantage him.

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During his press conference, the three-time Australian Open runner-up also talked about the same issue, saying he was tired of fighting against something that doesn't depend on himself.

Despite his feelings, Medvedev responded by beating Alex de Minaur in his second match at the ATP Finals. That means he has a great chance of qualifying if he manages the difficult feat of overcoming Jannik Sinner on Thursday.

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