Daniil Medvedev Points Out the Key for His Exceptional 2020 Season

2020 ended in the best possible manner for the Russian tennis player, Daniil Medvedev. Not only did he win the last two tournaments, but the 24-year-old also surpassed Roger Federer to take the Number 4 position.

Looking back now, the Russian talked about various ups and downs of his last season. For him, his unceremonious celebration stood out more than his titles.

Daniil confessed that this was his plan all the way long. He said, “Last year, I just decided it’s going to be my trademark.”

The 2020 ATP Finals champion has a curious reasoning for his lack of celebration. “When you win big titles or big matches against big opponents and you don’t celebrate, you have actually the opportunity to look around yourself and feel all the energy that’s going around,” Daniil said.

But it wasn’t all triumph for the Russian last year. Compared to the four titles he won and the five finals he played in 2019, Daniil managed only two titles in 2020.

From losing his temper to finally coming out as the winner, the nine ATP titles winner revealed his secret. “When you are down, you need to find the best way to get up fast,” the World No. 4 explained. “I just wanted to show that I’m capable of playing good tennis and beating good guys.”

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Daniil Medvedev defeated every Top 3 player in London

Though the Russian couldn’t make it to even a single final throughout the year, he made a complete turnaround at the Paris Masters. Along with the Bercy title, Daniil also claimed the ATP finals title in London.

To cinch the win, the Russian defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, World No. 2 Rafael Nadal, and World No. 3 Dominic Thiem.

“He [Novak] didn’t play his best tennis against me,” the Russian said. “But the thing is that even when he doesn’t play his best tennis, to beat him is so tough… When Rafa is serving for the match some part of my mind was already thinking ‘Okay, in a few minutes, I will be out of this court’.”

After beating Nadal, Daniil went on to stop the 2019 finalist Thiem in the finals. With that, the Russian became the only player to beat all Top 3 players to win the year-ending tournament.

Medvedev summed things up and said, “We’re working every day to make me a better tennis player. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

Moving forward, the Russian will start his season with compatriot Andrey Rublev in the ATP Cup 2021. From there, he will try for his first Slam at the Australian Open. Will Medvedev continue his success in 2021?

WATCH: Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios in the Most Bizarre Moments in 2020 Tennis Season