Daniil Medvedev has found life on the ATP Tour more challenging over the past 18 months.
The Russian has not claimed a title since 2023 and he has suffered early exits from tournaments on a more regular basis.
As a result, Medvedev has fallen out of the top 10 and he is struggling to produce the level of consistency that helped him win 20 ATP Tour titles, including a Grand Slam title.
Looking at his results since the start of last season, a former ATP player did not hold back on where he believes the 28-year-old’s game is at.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesFormer ATP player Julien Varlet says tennis should ‘forget the Daniil Medvedev era’
2025 has been a season to forget for Daniil Medvedev so far. The world number 14 has suffered 15 defeats this year and he has just one Grand Slam match win to his name across the three majors played so far.
Medvedev’s best result was a run to the Berlin Open final, where he lost to Alexander Bublik in straight sets.
There has been very little else for Medvedev to celebrate this season and while he seems to have been surpassed by other players, Frenchman Julien Varlet thinks the 2021 US Open winner has regressed significantly.
“Medvedev is stagnating, and it’s even close to regressing. He’s no longer scary. He’s not hurting. And then when you’re in doubt, there are two things that help you hold the fort,” Varlet told Sans Filet.
“First, your physique. But he’s given so much that it’s starting to get complicated. And then, above all, there’s technique, and that’s not where he’s best. So as soon as he’s in doubt, he automatically plays less well.
“Even in 2019, when he had that great part of the season, he didn’t play the short game well, he didn’t volley very well. And he hasn’t progressed. Even though I love him, I think we should forget the Daniil Medvedev era.”
Daniil Medvedev leaves Canadian Open court without his bag after losing to Alexei Popyrin
Medvedev claimed just one win at the Canadian Open before he was beaten by defending champion Alexei Popyrin.
He took a tight first set but the Australian battled back and secured the next two sets to keep his title defence alive.
Medvedev appeared to be so frustrated by his defeat that he left the court at the end of the match without his bag.
This was Popyrin’s fourth Top 20 win of the season, and he was disappointed not to win the match in straight sets after holding a 4-2 lead in set one.
“I felt like I should have won that first set. I was in the driver’s seat, I felt like I was really comfortable out there, and then something happened — the same thing that happened earlier this season when I played him [in Rome],” Popyrin said post-match.
“I kind of let go and I started feeling my shots a little bit. When that happens, when you play at a fast pace against him, he starts feeling the ball a little bit more.
“I had to revert back to the main tactics that we had, which was more focused on serving, coming into the net and not giving him the same rhythm. I think that worked today.”