It’s been a season of peaks and valleys for Daniil Medvedev. While he has reached a Grand Slam final and has performed decently in several tournaments, he still hasn’t won a title this year. His inconsistent performance has raised concerns not just for his fans, but for the player himself.

Despite reaching finals at the Australian Open and Indian Wells, as well as the semifinals in Miami, Medvedev has struggled to close tournaments. He lost to Jannik Sinner in a five-setter in the Australian Open final and fell to Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells. The Russian pro is currently participating in the China Open where he reached the Round of 16 earlier today by beating Gael Monfils. Talking to the press after that, Medvedev provided a frank assessment of his 2024 ATP season.

“Definitely, things haven’t gone as I would like. I have zero titles. It’s clear I’d like something more, it’s been a year of ups and downs. Some great moments, others a bit worse. But, well, everything adds up, everything is experience,” Medvedev said. Despite having a below-par season so far, the 28-year-old is still looking to get something out of the season, as he added, “I like life on the circuit. I like playing tennis. Whatever happened, happened for a reason. There are still a few tournaments left: somehow, if I manage to play well in these tournaments, I could say the year was a success.”

While Medvedev has had some notable results this season, he has also suffered early exits at the French Open and other key events. As he looks ahead to the ATP Finals in Turin, he knows the final stretch of the season will determine whether he can salvage a successful campaign or not. “It somewhat depends on the last tournaments because so far, it’s been a year of ups and downs. I wouldn’t say it’s amazing, nor would I say it’s bad, I’m #4 in the Race. I’m looking forward to see how I respond to this question after my last match in Turin,” the Russian remarked.

Medvedev had a very decent campaign in the last Grand Slam of the season at Flushing Meadows. Although he couldn’t get to the semis, he had a dominating run till the Round of 8. However, it all ended in a brutal defeat.

Daniil Medvedev’s lost opportunity at the US Open

After Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz suffered early exits at the US Open, Daniil Medvedev emerged as a strong contender to go all the way and win the tournament, as he did in 2021. However, he bumped into Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals and received quite a thrashing from the Italian, who is probably playing the best tennis of his life.

The first two sets were a roller-coaster for Medvedev as he cruised the second set after losing the first in a jiffy. It appeared to be the making of a crackerjack of a contest, but Sinner had other ideas. The next two sets saw complete domination from the World No. 1 again, as he finished the match off with a scoreline of 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Medvedev was bitterly disappointed with his performance, as he said, “When I was missing, I didn’t feel why I was missing, so I couldn’t correct it, and then I got super tight at the end, and it was even tougher. Not an easy feeling, not happy with myself, but that’s tennis, it’s okay. I lost. I go home.”

While this season has borne no fruits for Medvedev so far, he remains focused on overcoming this challenge. Will he reclaim his place among the elite on the ATP tour though? And more importantly, will he win a title this season? Only time will tell.