“Need to Break Each of These Guys Mentally”: Daniil Medvedev Reflects on Toughest Part of Winning a Tournament

Russian powerhouse Daniil Medvedev has established himself at the highest level. Last year, he was the only player to have won more than 50 matches on tour before the likes of Djokovic, Federer, or Nadal.

He has won three Masters 1000 events in the last twelve months. Considering tennis was hit for the majority of this year, it does sound triumphant. The most recent title was at the Rolex Paris Masters last week. The rapid rise since Wimbledon last year, Daniil featured in six consecutive finals.

With the season showdown beginning in London next week, he said, “Everyone in one sport is all about mentality. Every tournament that you play to win it, you need to win 5 matches against 5 real guys. All of them want to win this tournament.“

Speaking on the mental aspect of the game, the recently crowned champion at Bercy said, “You need to be stronger than them. You need to break each of these guys mentally every match, that’s really tough. Especially in semi-finals or finals where you play top players and they try to break u and they are better at it. It’s only you against your opponent.”

Also Read: “My Level is There” – Denis Shapovalov on Competing Against Top-Ten Players

2019: The Rise of Daniil Medvedev 

At the beginning of the North American hard-court season, Nick Kyrgios beat him in the final of the Citi Open. Following that, Daniil put up a strong performance at the Rogers Cup. He beat Thiem and Khachanov, only to be shaken off by Nadal in the final.

A week later, he beat Novak Djokovic on his way to winning the Western and Southern Open. He later went deep into the US Open before he was taken down in the final by Rafa in a 5-set enthralling battle. However, he bounced back by winning titles at St. Petersburg and the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

The 6ft 6inches Russian is an effective baseliner who has tremendous defensive skills. He can literally wear out his opponent’s due to his superior lateral movements and quickness. Djokovic has described him as “a very complete player.”