Daniil Medvedev has put last year’s problems behind him. We can safely talk about this after the triumph of the Russian tennis player at the prestigious tournament in Brisbane.

Daniil showed tennis of the highest level and won the title!

“I was losing control too quickly”

2025 was the most unfortunate year for Medvedev in recent times. For the first time since 2023, Daniil lost his place in the top 10 of the world rankings. To reboot his career, the Russian decided to make drastic changes in the team. Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke replaced coach Gilles Cervara.

The new coaching staff helped our athlete reboot towards the end of last season. Daniil admitted that he felt a surge of strength that he had never felt in his adult career. It was with this mindset that he arrived at the ATP 250 tournament in Brisbane.

On the Australian hard courts, Medvedev won four victories on the way to the final, justifying his status as the main favorite. In the semi-finals, our tennis player did not seem to notice the strong American Alex Mickelsen. In this meeting, the Russian clearly showed what progress he had made during his cooperation with new coaches. Especially mentally.

— Last year I couldn’t maintain my spirit for the whole tournament; I lost control too quickly. “I often get angry on the court, but now everything passes quickly,” Medvedev revealed the secret of transformation after his victory over Mickelsen.

Daniil Medvedev / Photo: © Bradley Kanaris / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Promised and delivered

Medvedev has already played in the final of the tournament in Brisbane, seven years ago. Then he lost to the Japanese Kei Nishikori. This time Daniil received American Brandon Nakashima as his opponent. The 33rd number in the ATP ranking already in the first round dealt with the second seeded Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina, which made his way to the decisive match easier.

The history of personal meetings before this confrontation was in favor of the Russian – 2-0, but the tennis players had not played against each other for more than two years. During this time, the US representative made progress. In the live rating before the final, he was in the top 30 for the first time in his career.

Medvedev entered the final match with an incredible mood. He was upset even when he couldn’t keep up with the blows that were clearly not being taken. Only in the fifth game was Nakashima able to take his serve for the first time. By this time, the Russian was already leading with a score of 4:0. It wasn’t so easy for our player at the end of the set, but the margin received at the start was enough to close the set – 6:2.

The start of the second period turned out to be equal, after which Medvedev made a break in the fifth game, taking advantage of the first opportunity. Daniil confidently won games on his serve and was getting closer to the title, but failed to serve for the match. The excitement and proximity of the cherished victory provoked mistakes. As a result, Nakashima moved the game to a tiebreaker, where he still lost without a chance – 6:7 (1:7).

— Thank you very much to my team and my family. My daughter had her birthday this week and I dedicate this victory to her. I was here seven years ago and I said I would come back and take the title. Now I’ve done it,” Daniil said after the victory.

The confident performance of the former first racket of the world in Brisbane and the won title allow fans to hope for Medvedev’s return to the top eight in the near future. In this form, Daniil is able to defeat the best players on the planet. Perhaps we will witness this already at the Australian Open, which starts on January 18.