Follow us on Google Discover Daniil Medvedev has seemingly turned a corner in his difficult season after claiming his first ATP title of 2025 at the Almaty Open.
Medvedev claimed his first title in over two years at the ATP 250 event in Kazakhstan, at which he was the second seed.
The success means Medvedev has now won 21 titles in his career, all of which have remarkably arrived in different cities.
But the title arrived amid a challenging season for the former world number one, who has dropped to 14th in the ATP rankings.
Medvedev parted ways with his coach of eight years recently, while he suffered three consecutive first round exits at Grand Slam level.
The Russian lost in the second round of the Australian Open, before first round exits at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Medvedev smashed his racket after his opening defeat to Benjamin Bonzi, in which he argued with chair umpire Greg Allensworth.
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What Daniil Medvedev told Andy Roddick about his career in a phone call after the US Open
Former world number one Andy Roddick has now shared insight into Medvedev’s thought process after the final Grand Slam of 2025 in New York.
He revealed on Served with Andy Roddick: “I asked if I could talk about this when we were on the phone and he said I don’t really care about that, or anything really.
“But he called me. He said what do you think? He was going through some feelings after the US Open and we talked for probably 45 minutes.
“I am a fan of his game, a fan of his career and what he has done. I am entertained by his petulance. I won’t always defend it as the absolute right thing to do.
“But if someone raises their hand and says that I was wrong, pretty quickly afterwards, I normally am a little softer on the stance as long as it’s not hurting anyone else and he just does it and he’s clever and funny.
“But it’s crazy to think that someone who has been number one in the world and has now won 21 titles, at that point 20. It’s the greatest thing about tennis, he is still searching.
“He said if I had bad results three or four years ago, I kind of always knew that it would turn around. Right now I don’t know. That is funny.
“You can’t lie to tennis based on past accomplishments. You kind of have to restart over and over. It’s the greatest thing ever.
“It’s not like you can ride an Oscar win for roles five years later. You just can’t do it. So props to Meddy. He has really turned his year around.”
Steve Johnson rates Daniil Medvedev’s chances of reaching the ATP Finals
It’s been a trying time for Medvedev, but he will be hoping that his Almaty Open win represents a turning point.
The hard-fought title may, however, have come slightly too late in his bid to play at the ATP Finals in Turin next month.
Medvedev, who claimed his only Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open, currently occupies 13th place in the Race to Turin.
RankPlayerPoints1Carlos Alcaraz (Qualified)11,0402Jannik Sinner (Qualified)8,5003Novak Djokovic (Qualified)4,5804Alexander Zverev4,2805Taylor Fritz3,8356Ben Shelton3,7207Alex de Minaur3,5958Lorenzo Musetti3,4859Felix Auger-Aliassime3,14510Jack Draper (Injured)2,99011Casper Ruud2,73512Holger Rune (Injured)2,59013Daniil Medvedev2,560ATP Race to Turin
Discussing the Russian’s chances of making the year-end tournament, former player Steve Johnson said on Tennis Channel: “I just feel as if there’s only one spot really up for grabs.
“It’s that [Lorenzo] Musetti spot. I feel like the other guys, Taylor [Fritz], Ben [Shelton] and Alex [de Minaur], are going to get the job done, they’re going to finish the year strong.
“But I’m looking down at the bottom and Daniil Medvedev. I like it. He’s somebody that has had a lot of success.
“I’ve got to double check, I’m not sure he’s ever won the Paris Masters, because if he has, that’s a bad sign for him because he’s never won an event in the same place. But I see him doing well in the year, especially after his title in Almaty.”
Adding his take, Roger Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone said: “Yeah that’s not a bad call at all, because he can get so hot and he’s so accustomed to winning at the top of the game. And the big boost with the title today, it might be just what he needs to finish strong.”
Medvedev has indeed won the ATP Masters 1000 Paris, lifting the trophy in France in 2020 with a final win over Alexander Zverev.
Incidentally, he went on to win the ATP Finals shortly after, while he finished as runner-up in the following season.