Follow us on Google Discover Daniil Medvedev has admitted that not everything was well for him in Almaty, despite winning his first title for over two years.
Medvedev recently split with his long-term coach after losing in the first round of the US Open, before recruiting 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke.
This change appears to have made a big difference to Medvedev, who won his first title in 29 months at the Almaty Open.
Medvedev still has an outside chance of qualifying for the ATP Finals, but he will be hoping he can avoid a recurring injury that left him unable to walk in Almaty.
Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty ImagesDaniil Medvedev admits he was unable to walk in Almaty due to injury
There are only three active ATP players with more titles than Medvedev, and he won his 21st after beating Corentin Moutet in the final.
When speaking to Russian outlet Tennis Bolshoi about his run to the Almaty title, he admitted that he actually suffered a back injury in practice before the tournament which left him unable to walk.
Medvedev admitted that this impacted him in his matches against Adam Walton and Fabian Marozsan, but he is now pain-free.
“Well, I feel great now,” said Medvedev. “I had been training with [Alex] Michelsen the day before Karen [Khachanov] and so I played with him for 20 minutes and I couldn’t walk after that. I had the same thing in Miami and in Miami, well, I just couldn’t move and lost two and three (6-2 6-3) to [Jaume] Munar.
“And if you look closely at the first set with Walton, then when he played sideways, especially to the left, it was difficult for me. But well, I was lucky, it was good that there was altitude and fast courts, so I won the first set thanks to my serve and then I let up a bit, but now I feel great, since the semifinal nothing has bothered me at all, so I feel great.”
Medvedev gave more details about his injury later on in the interview, “We come to training, after five minutes I say ‘something’s wrong with my back’. After 10 minutes I start hitting only from the left. I make exactly two serves and say, ‘Practice is over’. And I was also sick at the same time, that is even without taking into account the back.”
Daniil Medvedev’s potential run to the title at the Vienna Open
Incredibly all 21 of Medvedev’s titles have come in different cities, but he explained in the same interview that is not a record he is looking to keep hold of.
Daniil Medvedev has now won 21 titles in 21 different cities:
Sydney
Winston-Salem
Tokyo
Sofia
Cincinnati
St. Petersburg
Shanghai
Paris-Bercy
ATP Finals/ London
Marseille
Mallorca
Toronto
New York
Los Cabos
Vienna
Rotterdam
Dubai
Miami
Rome
Almaty pic.twitter.com/7Gn2nlR8wt
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 19, 2025
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This is good for his next tournament at the Vienna Open, where Medvedev won the title in 2022 and he is the sixth seed this year.
Medvedev will play Nuno Borges, who he has never lost to before, in the first round and could then set up a rematch of the Almaty Open final with Moutet.
Vienna Open 2025Daniil Medvedev’s run to the titleFirst RoundNuno BorgesSecond RoundCorentin Moutet/Damir DzumhurQuarterfinalLorenzo Musetti (4)/Tomas Martin EtcheverrySemifinalAlexander Zverev (2)/Brandon Nakashima/Tallon Griekspoor/Matteo ArnaldiFinalJannik Sinner (1)/Alex de Minaur (3)/Alexander Bublik (8)/Francisco Cerundolo
Some of the other threats in his half of the draw include Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti and Brandon Nakashima, with Jannik Sinner potentially awaiting in the final.
Medvedev will look to keep his momentum going from the Almaty Open when he plays his first round match in Vienna against Borges on Wednesday, October 22.