Daniil Medvedev is a great player and a smart one, but he is more limited in pure athletic ability than the other top players. In fact, Medvedev likely had a great opportunity to win Grand Slams prior to the emergence of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz than now. Then, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were beginning to slow a bit because of age and injuries. Medvedev is the older player now.
This is at least the thinking of his former coach Ivan Pridankin. The coach was involved with Medvedev for six years, so he clearly would know the strengths and weaknesses of the top Russian player. Medvedev is still difficult to play because of his unusual shot-making, but when matched with the best of the best, he struggled.
This is why Pridankin thinks the Russian will struggle next year and beyond to win another major. Assuming Sinner, Alcaraz, and even Alexander Zverev stay healthy, Medvedev might simply be facing players who are better than he is.
Daniil Medvedev might struggle to win a Grand Slam in 2025
Pridankin told Championat, “If you look at who (Medvedev) lost to, it becomes clear: it is difficult for him to play with top-level tennis players. He takes the matches he should (win) quite confidently, but it was difficult for him with the leaders…How to compete with Sinner and Alcaraz? And it will be more difficult with [Alexander] Zverev now. And I do not see yet how this can be solved.”
Jannik Sinner’s Davis Cup captain has some thoughts
Speaking of Sinner, Italian Davis Cup captain Filippo Volandri recently spoke about Sinner’s issue with two failed drug tests in March and the current appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency to have the Italian banned for up to two years. Sinner was previously found innocent by the International Tennis Integrity Agency of any intentional wrong-doing, but the WADA said to basically, “Hold up.”
Volandri believes if the WADA wins their appeal in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport that a great miscarriage of justice will take place. According to QS Sport, Volandri said, “I don’t even want to think about a possible disqualification of Sinner, given his honesty and the irrefutable evidence he has provided. But if there is a person with broad shoulders it is Jannik. A disqualification would be the greatest injustice in history.”
Can the Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray partnership yield positive results?
Besides Sinner’s potential suspension, one of the biggest questions about tennis entering 2025 is how well the partnership between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will work. Murray is set to be Djokovic’s coach through at least the Australian Open in January. Djokovic has won 10 titles in Melbourne, but he did not win any majors in 2024. Former top doubles player Nicolas Mahut has faith that something good can come from Djokovic and Murray.
He told Eurosport, “I was a bit surprised, I won’t hide it, although, at the same time, I received the news (of Murray and Djokovic working together) with great excitement…Honestly, I was a bit pessimistic about Novak, I thought he was already heading to the end of his career, I didn’t see him winning Grand Slams in 2025…This is where Andy, who has been his rival for years but has known him since they were kids, comes in. I’m sure he’ll give you a big boost and they will both want to do well. Now I have the feeling that we can see a great Novak again.”
Of course, many tennis fans would probably like to see the Murray and Djokovic partnership yield at least one major title. The celebration alone would be worth that happening.
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