Medvedev: ‘I’m Someone Who Always Wants More’

Call Daniil Medvedev a glass half-full guy.

Despite an early exit in Miami that ended a sustained run of form on hard courts, the 2021 US Open champion can see the benefit of having extra time to prepare for the tough clay-court season.

“For me, it’s not super easy to change surfaces, so I would prefer to have some time,” Medvedev told ATP Media. “Of course I’d prefer to be playing in the final of Miami, but if you lose early at least you have time to prepare for clay physically. That’s important for me as I don’t feel natural on clay.

“All [surface transitions] are tough, even going from grass to hard. But what makes it tougher to come to clay is that from the beginning of the US summer last season to the end of Miami you’ve been on hard courts and that’s a lot of time. Your body and mind… I start feeling like a hard court and you have to change that.”

Medvedev began the year by winning Brisbane, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and then winning his 23rd title in Dubai. After an arduous journey from the Middle East to Indian Wells, he defeated defending champion Jack Draper and World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz to reach the final of the year’s first ATP Masters 1000, where Jannik Sinner edged him in two tie-breaks.

In Miami, he suffered a tight three-set loss to Argentine Francisco Cerundolo in the third round.

Medvedev returned to the Top 10 in March after slipping to as low as No. 18 last year when he endured a horror 1-4 record at Grand Slam level. His 17-9 record at Masters 1000 in 2025 kept him from falling outside the Top 20. But it’s consistency over the course of the season that Medvedev is seeking.

Assessing the first three months of this year, Medvedev said, “I think it was quite good. I’m someone who always wants more, especially the way I played some of the tournaments. I’m not happy that I didn’t manage to bring that to all the tournaments I played, but that’s how tennis is. That’s the difference between the guys who win 20 Grand Slams and me, who is very good but isn’t going to win 20 Grand Slams.

“I’m third in the Race and feeling happy with my game…. With my game and my shots, I’m not someone who can play bad and win matches. So to win a lot of matches I need to play well. So if I’ve won a lot of matches, it means I’ve been playing well.”

Medvedev will chase his 20th win of the season when he opens his campaign against the winner of Matteo Berrettini and a qualifier.

Medvedev reached the Monte-Carlo semi-finals in 2019 when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic in consecutive three-setters before falling to surprise finalist Dusan Lajovic. He also reached the quarter-finals in 2023, beating Alexander Zverev before falling to Holger Rune.

Over his career, Medvedev is 127-60 at Masters 1000 level, at which he has won six titles, including Rome in 2023, his lone clay-court triumph.