By Chris Oddo | Monday August 11, 2025
What occurred to Daniil Medvedev? Keep in mind the previous World No.1, the man who stood tall towards the Huge Three and racked up titles on laborious courts like they have been going out of favor? Has anybody seen that man?
There wouldn’t be a sighting in Cincinnati, the place Medvedev appeared as a shell of his former self as he wilted in defeat to Australia’s Adam Walton on Sunday, 6-7 6-4 6-1.
It’s simply odd to see the previous juggernaut at No.15 on this planet, carrying a report of 26-17 for the season. Some of the charming, personable gamers on the ATP Tour, who earned his nickname the “slim reaper” due to his wiry body and uncanny potential to outlast gamers together with his trademark accuracy and resiliency, is simply 29 years outdated. It’s not like he’s Kei Nishikori at 35 and on the best way out, or Gael Monfils at 38.
Medvedev is 1-3 on the Grand Slams in 2025, and 11-7 on the Masters occasions. It is a participant who received greater than 60 matches in 2021 and 2023, and reached six main finals between 2019 and 2024. However he’s gone 12-20 towards the High-20 for the reason that begin of 2024, so his lack of success towards the elite now not comes as shock.
Medvedev was a couple of video games from successful yesterday’s match with Walton, however the excessive warmth zapped him. He was struggling throughout courtside changeovers, dunking his head in a water cooler and sitting beneath an ice pack. On court docket he had nothing to offer within the deciding set. It occurs, but it surely shouldn’t. No excuses, that is the kind of problem he has pushed by in earlier years, as he turned probably the greatest laborious court docket gamers in tennis.
The 2021 US Open champion will head to the US Open subsequent, the place he’s 33-7 lifetime. If a dose of New York vitality can’t carry his recreation to life, we should always all be fearful.
