How Daniil Medvedev Rebounded From a Midseason Slump to Reach the ATP Finals

The 30-year-old started 2026 with two titles, then stumbled through the summer before splitting with his coach and finding his form again in the fall. After an up-and-down season, Medvedev arrives in Turin with four titles this year, his first 50-win season since 2023, and a seventh Finals appearance after missing last year’s event.

Early Titles Masked a Grand Slam Problem

Daniil Medvedev opened the 2026 season by winning Brisbane and Dubai, then added an Indian Wells final, where he beat Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals and lost to Jannik Sinner. This promising start followed a difficult 2025, where Medvedev won only one match at the majors, nearly fell out of the top 20, and split with longtime coach Gilles Cervara after a first-round loss at the US Open.

His turbulent 2025 season meant Medvedev needed to rebound in 2026, and it looked like he was doing so, at least outside the Grand Slams. Once again, the majors were the real problem for Medvedev in 2026. He lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open, the first round of Roland Garros, the third round of Wimbledon, and the fourth round of the US Open.

Medvedev failed to reach a quarterfinal at any of the four majors in 2026, and he has now gone eight straight majors without advancing past the fourth round, a run that dates back to the 2024 US Open. After a streak of underwhelming Grand Slam results, Medvedev finally decided to make some changes.

Multiple Coaching Changes

About a week after Wimbledon, Medvedev announced a split with coach Thomas Johansson, the 2002 Australian Open champion he had worked with since September 2025. Under Johansson, he won Almaty, Brisbane, and Dubai but couldn't find success at the Grand Slam level. After parting ways, Medvedev said they remained on good terms and that he needed a change after a disappointing Wimbledon.

He brought in Andrey Golubev, a former world No. 33 from Kazakhstan, on a trial basis for Cincinnati and the US Open. This was Golubev’s first coaching job on the ATP Tour, and the start wasn’t pretty. Medvedev lost in the second round of the Canadian Open, the third round in Cincinnati, and the second round in Winston-Salem. After losing to Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round of the US Open, he also parted ways with coach Rohan Goetzke.

Medvedev’s Results Since

After winning the Hangzhou title in September, Medvedev’s team had seemingly found a formula that works. He said he found faster courts that rewarded his serve and let him take the initiative, and that he plays his best tennis when he plays aggressively. With Golubev as his only coach, the Russian player seems to have more clarity on-court.

This fall, Medvedev won Hangzhou in September, then Almaty in October, defending a title for the first time in his career. This was his 25th title, and his fourth of 2026, a big improvement from his single title in 2025. His tour-leading 38 hard-court wins show how the coaching change paid off, and his record this season stands at 52-20. In late October, he clinched his place in the ATP Finals by beating Adrian Mannarino in the Vienna quarterfinals, and he’s back at No. 5 in the rankings.

Finishing the 2026 Season Strong

Medvedev will be making his seventh ATP Finals appearance this year with a 12-11 record at the event, including winning the title in 2020. His 2026 season has been bumpy but resurgent, and the veteran still needs to work on his consistency. After losing his first match at the Paris Masters to Ignacio Buse, he’ll have to tighten up his game before the Finals.

He enters the ATP Finals with a new coach, a more aggressive game, and a rebound in his results. As one of only two former champions in the field, Medvedev hopes to continue his upward trajectory. However, his Grand Slam results remain his biggest weak spot and the main question for him heading into next season.

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