Daniil Medvedev is putting up his best effort to get out of a problem that does not appear to have any immediate remedies. The Russian ace, who has not won a trophy in nearly two years (his last victory was in Rome in May 2023) and has not reached a final since the 2024 Indian Wells Masters 1000, has shown some signs of improvement in recent tournaments, but he is still a long way from the player who won the US Open in 2021 and rose to the top of the ATP rankings.
The Moscow winner had a successful tournament at Indian Wells, reaching the semifinals after defeating Arthur Fils in one of the most stunning matches of the season's inaugural Masters 1000 event.
However, his present level was insufficient to defeat Holger Rune in the semifinals as well. Despite the fact that the young Dane is not having the finest season of his career, he easily won the first semi-final, exposing all of Daniil's flaws.
The former world number one will strive to improve his performance in the Miami Open, where he previously won in 2023 by defeating current ATP ranking leader Jannik Sinner in the final.
Before the event began in Florida, Medvedev appeared in an interesting conversation with Grigor Dimitrov (finalist in Miami in 2024), James Blake (current tournament director), Gustavo Kuerten, and Juan Martin del Potro.
When asked to reveal his favorite player as a child, the Russian surprised everyone with a very peculiar answer. While the 28-year-old may have grown up watching the emergence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, before sharing the court with them, it is a surprise that neither Federer or Nadal was his favorite player as a child.
"I know it may seem strange to many, but I have always loved watching Florian Mayer play" - replied the 2021 US Open champion.
"I faced him in my first Challenger final and he completely destroyed me. If I remember correctly, it ended 6-2 6-1 in his favor," added Daniil.
The former German ace was known for having a very particular technique, a peculiar characteristic that he shares with Medvedev.