882 days - Daniil Medvedev's ATP title drought is finally over! Within the past two and a half years, the former world #1 went through a lot: from losing in the AO-2024 final against Yannik Sinner to parting ways with his longtime coach Gilles Cervara. And if falling in the ATP ranking didn't seem so desperate, Medvedev's performance and the lack of solutions did so. However, with the arrival of Johansson and Götzke the dawn has come to Meddy and helped him find the necessary keys to changing his game. As Daniil once said, he was looking for coaches who would share his vision of the game, and the results came by shortly thereafter.
The fall of 2025 has brought a renaissance to Medvedev and given his fans hope for future achievements. The rise of the former world №1 has been accompanied by a series of revenge matches against opponents, to whom Medvedev unexpectedly lost earlier this year. His comeback began in Shanghai where he defeated Tien on the third attempt. Then, in Almaty, Daniil redeemed himself by taking a revange on Walton and Moutet, individuals to whom he had previously lost on his favorite hard courts in the U.S.
The final game of the Almaty Open was truly a highlight of the whole tournament. Like in his prime, Daniil endured and showcased his Octopus mode, coping with awkward angles and Moutet's enviable chop. And yet, it was the Frenchman who spent most of the game doing exactly what Medvedev was famous for - exhausting his opponent, but Meddy's class and overall experience made the difference. The Russian lifted his 21st ATP title, and there is no doubt that the trophy from Almaty is doubly valuable not only because of the two and a half year drought without titles, but also because it came after a month of non-stop tennis (Meddy reached the semis in Beijing and Shanghai before coming to Almaty), which resulted in accumulated fatigue and a cold.
Medvedev dedicated his victory in Kazakhstan to his youngest daughter, named Victoria. But the victory wasn't only meant to be for Victoria; it was also for Daniil himself, as a sort of relief after a prolonged trophyless drought and as hope that his comeback to the elite of tennis is still possible. As of now, Daniil climbed to the 12th position in the ATP race, and his strong showings, coupled with setbacks from rivals in Vienna and Paris, leave Daniil with chances to qualify for Turin. Right now he is under 1000 points behind eighth-place Musetti, and around 600 behind ninth-place Auger-Aliassime. If Medvedev can finish off what initially seemed to be a devastating season with a return to the top 10, then the problems he faced in 2025 may be forgotten, or rather, viewed as valuable lessons. With this in mind, he will finally be able to step into the future with a positive outlook.
