Few things demonstrate Daniil Medvedev’s goal-oriented personality and intrinsic motivation more than how he has approached his 2023 Wimbledon campaign.
He has reaped the rewards of this, progressing to his first semifinal at the All England Club.
“Wimbledon is an amazing tournament. I wanted to do well because it was my worst Grand Slam. Never managed to get into the flow here to make it click,” Medvedev said.
“Especially (the fact I was) for long time not playing well on Grand Slams. I want to do well here. I want to try. It's not going to be easy.
“I sometimes try to put less pressure on myself and I feel like it's good. This time I kind of put more pressure on myself before the tournament. I was like, 'I have to do well here'.
“Sometimes it's tricky because by putting more pressure, you become more vulnerable. But I managed to do it, so I'm happy so far.
“I'm going to put even more pressure for next two matches.”
Until this fortnight, Wimbledon was the only major tournament at which he had not passed the fourth round. And this was becoming a trend at all Grand Slams; Medvedev had not gone beyond this stage at any since his run to the Australian Open 2022 final, 18 months ago.
His relative underperformance at Wimbledon has always been a curiosity, given many of his weapons – a formidable serve, plus flat groundstrokes that skid through the court – should theoretically work well there.
Following a third-round loss in Australia this year, that motivation kicked in again.
Medvedev had fallen outside the top 10 for the first time in more than three years, but promptly won his next three tournaments and 19 straight matches, beating four top-10 players along the way – including world No.1 Novak Djokovic in Dubai.
These results boosted him back inside the top five and set him on course to this point, where he has re-established himself as a Grand Slam force.
Discussing this resurgence in an ausopen.com article in March, doubles great Todd Woodbridge looked ahead to Wimbledon, which he felt was Medvedev’s next frontier to conquer.
"I think it's exciting for tennis, because I think Medvedev is going to be a contender to win more majors again. And that's great for the game, because he brings personality,” Woodbridge said, just before Medvedev’s sparkling streak ended in the Indian Wells final.
"It would be lovely to know what his (next) goal ideally was. But for me, Wimbledon is where I see him focusing right now. I think this season is about doing something (notable) where he hasn't gone deep.
“(Grass should suit) his game style; maybe there's an adjustment to be made to his (typically deep) positioning.
“I think that's quite exciting for him. And I think the situation for Daniil is about keeping it interesting, keeping it motivating, and having these things to be targeting.”
Four months on, these comments make for profound reading.
The adjustment Woodbridge specified has occurred at Wimbledon, most obviously during Medvedev’s quarterfinal triumph over Christopher Eubanks.
Medvedev reconsidered his deep returning position – described by one reporter as being “so far back you were going to take a seat” – and moved further up the court to meet Eubanks’ delivery. It worked, and he won the fourth and fifth sets to reach a sixth career major semifinal.
Such adaptation has been a feature of Medvedev’s successful season, during which he has won 46 of 54 matches and for a period returned to world No.2.
He was once almost comically averse to clay, but went 10-3 on the surface in 2023, the highlight his first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 title in Rome.
Along with his perennial success on hard courts, this latest performance at Wimbledon has seen Medvedev truly develop into an all-surface threat.
“(On grass) I didn't have this feeling where, ‘Oh, my God, clay, I cannot win a match’,” Medvedev explained. “I actually felt like I played well. A little bit (of) luck here and there. Still not my favourite surface, so you can beat me there.
“On grass I feel like you have to adapt less in a way. You just have to serve well and try to return and make one break a set, which sounds easy but it's not because your opponent is trying to do the same.
“I managed to find this rhythm which I rarely had on grass because the bounce sometimes goes through the court so you're going to be late on the swing.
“Hopefully I can find it for two more matches.”
The player responsible for ending that aforementioned win streak in the Indian Wells final was Carlos Alcaraz, whom Medvedev next faces.
That match was notable because Alcaraz punished Medvedev for that deep position behind the baseline, both on return and in rallies. The Spaniard’s ability to finish at the net, and execute terrific drop shots, helped him build a 6-3 4-0 lead, and complete a 6-3 6-2 masterclass.
Medvedev feels this result, on a slow, gritty court surface, counts for little when they meet again at Wimbledon, on courts he believes will assist his serve.
And with the changes and progress he has made to get back to the top of the sport, few imagine this savvy competitor will not learn from the dynamic of that match in March, and adapt accordingly.
“For sure (I’m) going to discuss tactically with my coach,” Medvedev said.
“It's interesting to play someone like Carlos. He is amazing, amazing player. What he continues to do is just unbelievable. He doesn't stop. I don't think he will.
“But I played a lot of great players in my career. I managed to win many times. So I'm going to try to do my best.
“If I show my best, I'll have my chances.”