Talk about players with hard luck and Daniil Medvedev is one of the top. The 28-year-old, with a career spanning a decade since turning pro, has only one Grand Slam title to his name, the 2021 US Open. Surprisingly, tennis, which was previously dominated by the likes of ‘Big 3’ has been overtaken with the rise of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. And not to mention, this has given a real hard time to players like Medvedev. Talking about his 2024 year, he could not seem quite happy about it.

On Friday, Daniil Medvedev staged a comeback victory in both sets, defeating Thiago Seyboth Wild in straight sets in the round of 64 at the Shanghai Masters. In the post-match press conference, a reporter asked the current world No. 5 about his ongoing year so far. “How do you sum up your season overall, and sort of what goals are left for you this year?” asked the reporter. Daniil Medvedev expressed disappointment with his overall performance this year, especially against the current world No. 1 and 2.

“A bit up and down, but in general I would say not bad, not perfect, I mean, zero titles, so definitely not perfect. I had some good wins, had some good runs,” Medvedev summed his 2024 season so far. “It’s tough play against Jannik and Carlos, but I managed to beat Jannik in quarterfinal at Wimbledon, playing great. Against Carlos, actually the three matches I played this year, I felt like I was playing maybe even better than before, but still lost.”

Despite defeating Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon quarterfinals earlier this year, Daniil Medvedev fell short against Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. Moreover, Medvedev has squared off against the current world No. 1 a total of 13 times since 2020, losing on all 4 occasions this year. Whereas he has faced Carlitos a total of 8 times, losing on all three occasions this year.

Despite reaching the finals of prestigious tournaments like the Australian Open and Indian Wells Masters this year, Medvedev fell short against Sinner and Alcaraz, respectively. “But, yeah, I feel like I have room to improve, but at the same time, it’s not too bad. I’m a force in the Race, and happy to try to finish on a good note. Goals left are try to win a title,” he concluded his statements.

However, his recent appearance at the Shanghai Masters demonstrates his familiarity with the Chinese courts and his potential for success. Having clinched the title here in 2019, he is eager to break his current title drought and experience what he describes as:

the “best feeling” in the sport for him

Reaching finals seems to be an ordinary thing for Daniil Medvedev now. Having won 20 titles so far, he looks to grab more under his belt. Talking about the same, in the post-match interview, he was asked if he has any “tiny measures of success”. Replying to this, he said, “I think in tennis, yes, still. I mean, probably make, what, 10 finals? If you make like four finals or four Grand Slams, maybe you can even be a world No. 1, without winning a title.”

He further suggested that nothing can beat the feeling of winning a title, dubbing it as the ‘best feeling’. “Whatever tournament you play, 250, challenger, Masters, Grand Slam, title is the best feeling.” He then summed up his words by suggesting that he has had some great runs in the events and hence won’t completely say that he has had a bad year. “But title is always feels good, and I still have some chances,” he concluded his statement.

Thus, with still a few more events to go, will Daniil Medvedev finally lay his hands on a title in a year that’s majorly dominated by the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner? What are your thoughts on this? Do let us know in the comments below.