Is Daniil Medvedev’s career on the decline?

Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev has endured a challenging season thus far. Known for his dominance on hard courts, the Russian has struggled to find his rhythm in 2025, showing signs of trouble compared to previous years.

The 29-year-old’s recent dip in performance has not only affected his confidence, but also caused a noticeable slide in his ATP rankings. Once a model of consistency and resilience, Medvedev now appears a shadow of the player who was once a massive threat on the ATP Tour.  

Here, we take a look at Medvedev’s career beginnings, style of play, big moments, recent struggles, and whether he can recover from this slump. 

Start of professional career and playing style

Medvedev turned professional in 2014. The hard-hitting Russian made his ATP Tour debut at the Kremlin Cup in 2015. In 2017, he made his debut at Wimbledon, where he beat fifth-seeded Stan Wawrinka in four sets in the first round, before bowing out in the second round.

The 6’6″ Russian has a strong first serve and flat, powerful groundstrokes. Medvedev likes to play from the baseline but has a great touch at the net as well. With one of the strongest backhands in the game, he is a counter-punching player who likes to turn defence into attack. While his net play is good, his volleys and drop shots are unique and unorthodox. Medvedev also possesses a strong return of serve and stays very deep in the court to manage his returns. He is also known to be a temperamental player, though he has learnt to control his bursts of anger on the court over the years.

His most favoured surface has been hard courts, while clay has been the one surface where he hasn’t found much success.

Success on the court

Since turning pro, Medvedev has won 20 ATP Tour titles, including the 2020 ATP Finals and the 2021 US Open. Here are the important milestones in his on-court success:

• Medvedev’s first ATP Singles title came at the ATP 250 Winston-Salem Open in August 2018, where he beat Steve Johnson in straight sets.

• Medvedev had a breakthrough year in 2019, reaching six ATP Tour finals — including the US Open final — and winning two ATP 1000 Masters titles in 2019 in the Shanghai Open and the Cincinnati Open. He made his debut in the ATP men’s singles top 10 rankings by the end of the year.

• Medvedev continued to improve in 2020, winning another Masters title in Paris and the year-ending Nitto ATP Finals, beating all top-three ranked players en route to the title.

• In 2021, Medvedev had his most successful year, winning four titles, including a Masters 1000 title in Canada Open and his only Grand Slam title at the US Open, beating Novak Djokovic.

• Since then, he has made three consecutive Australian Open finals in 2022, 2023, and 2024, albeit losing on all three occasions. He added two more ATP Masters 1000 titles to his collection in Rome and Miami in 2023.

• He reached the World No. 1 ranking after making the 2023 Australian Open final.

Recent struggles

Medvedev reached the Australian Open final in 2024 but lost to Jannik Sinner in five sets after leading by two sets initially. He lost to Rafael Nadal in the 2022 Australian Open in a similar fashion. He also reached the Indian Wells final, the semi-finals at Wimbledon, and the US Open quarter-finals after that, but since then he has faced a massive slump in form.

The 2025 season has been abysmal for Medvedev. His usually consistent performances at the Grand Slams have eluded him. A second-round exit at the Australian Open, a first-round exit at the French Open, and a first-round exit at the Wimbledon Championships a few days ago indicate a massive loss in form. His best performance this season was an appearance in the Halle Open final.

From the top five in the ATP rankings in the men’s singles category, Medvedev has dropped down to World No. 9. Once Wimbledon is over, there’s a possibility he could drop out of the top ten altogether.

Conclusion

Having watched Daniil Medvedev play recently, a major decline in his playing style or physical abilities doesn’t seem to be the case. Instead, it appears more a matter of confidence — particularly his ability to deliver under pressure. In professional sports, peak performance isn’t just about physical conditioning; mental strength plays an equally crucial role.

For Medvedev, the current challenge seems more psychological than physical. That said, I believe he possesses the mental toughness, skill set, and experience to bounce back. He’s been on the tour long enough to know that highs and lows are part of the journey.

This may just be a temporary setback for the former World No. 1. With a few strong tournament runs under his belt, there’s every chance he could return to his dominant best and once again become a serious threat to anyone across the net.