Daniil Medvedev’s motivation is as high as ever. But, he’s finding that drive in a different way than before.
He recently lost to Taylor Fritz at the World Tennis League. Despite the loss, Medvedev has a lot to be proud of.
The 27-year-old was the 2021 US Open champion. He’s also got 20 ATP titles under his belt.
Last season was a good one for the world No. 3. He made it to a third US Open final and won two Masters 1000 events. One of those was the Italian Open, his first clay court title at the ATP level.
But Medvedev’s mindset has changed over the years. He’s not the same as he was when he was 23 and chasing his first big title.
“I’m not anymore 23 and going for my first big title and I’m like ‘OK I want to do more.’ So at this stage of my life, at least right now, I hope this can just be for a long time. I just have the biggest motivation ever to just continue finding my limits, to just go for more,” he said.
Medvedev is always refreshingly honest. He admits that his younger self was more focused on big titles. Now, he’s more interested in pushing his own limits. That could help him last longer in the game.
The five-time Grand Slam finalist wants to work on his mentality. He admits it was a problem at the end of the 2023 season.
“I was a little bit too much all over the place because I was mentally tired. So I’m going to try to do all of this better next year and hopefully I can become a better player,” he said.
Medvedev, who’s been teaming up with his best friend Rublev at the World Tennis League, seems to have a clear approach. He should be mentally refreshed for the 2024 season.
That could help him as he tries to add a second Grand Slam to his impressive list of achievements.
Takeaways
‣ Daniil Medvedev, the 27-year-old 2021 US Open champion and holder of 20 ATP titles, has a different source of motivation now compared to his early career. He is driven by pushing his own limits rather than focusing on big titles.
‣ Medvedev acknowledges that his mentality was a challenge towards the end of the 2023 season and plans to improve on this aspect in the future.
‣ The tennis star is expected to be mentally refreshed for the 2024 season, which could aid him in his pursuit of a second Grand Slam title.