From claiming Grand Slam victories to securing the top spot in the rankings, Daniil Medvedev has left an indelible mark on the tennis world.
Daniil Medvedev Yet, there’s one accomplishment that has remained elusive for the Russian star: successfully defending a title. Despite clinching an impressive 20 ATP Tour titles, Medvedev has never managed to hoist the same trophy in consecutive years.
However, this lack of back-to-back victories doesn’t diminish his consistency or talent. In fact, he’s come agonizingly close on multiple occasions, notably at the 2021 ATP Finals and 2021 Paris Masters.
As Medvedev prepares for another shot at defending a title at the Dubai Tennis Championships, it’s worth examining his past attempts and assessing his chances of shedding this burden in the upcoming week.
It’s worth noting that Medvedev’s near misses at the Paris Masters and ATP Finals followed his landmark Grand Slam win at the 2021 US Open.
During this period, he displayed an unparalleled dominance on hardcourts, amassing 148 wins on the surface between 2018 and his US Open triumph – the highest tally for any player during that timeframe.
Despite being in prime form, Medvedev fell short in the finals of both events, losing to Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, respectively. The Paris Masters final even saw a reversal of the US Open result, underscoring the unpredictable nature of tennis.
So, is defending a title Medvedev’s Achilles heel? The answer isn’t straightforward. The ATP Tour is fiercely competitive, and retaining a championship is a daunting task. The heightened stakes of big tournaments only amplify the challenge, yet it’s precisely on these grand stages that Medvedev has showcased his prowess in recent years.
