Are Medvedev’s days of being a regular slam finalist over?

[Sputnik Bulgorov]

Medvedev was always a favorite to make the final in hard court slams when he only had to face weak players from his own generation. However with the rise of Sinner and Alcaraz, seems like the two will be permanent roadblocks in the SF stage for the rest of Medvedev’s career. He lost in the last HC slam to Sinner convincingly has lost the last 4 matches to Alcaraz, 3 of which were on HC where he couldn’t win a single set.

 

[dking68]

Yup

 

[TheGoldenEra1990’s]

if he is. Good. 6 foot 12 inches with all the power of a 15 year old girl from the baseline. Has the dude ever heard of a weight room?

 

[rigged]

Was never labeled as a wonderkid, didn't win anything bigger than 250 until 23 y old. After that, he was seen as a hard court specialist (even winning a slam and denying Djokovic's CYGS), yet he still reach 2 SF's in Wimbledon and won Rome. I think he exceeded his potential. If he'll never reach another slam final, unless Zverev will win a slam and more Masters or ATP Finals, he'll still be the best 90s player. He even upset Sinner and Alcaraz in slams. Medvedev is the living proof that hard work may not beat (everytime) talent who also works hard, but it will still give it a hard time.

 

[JJGUY]

if he is. Good. 6 foot 12 inches with all the power of a 15 year old girl from the baseline. Has the dude ever heard of a weight room?

I think it's a bit too late for that now, he was trained to play pusher and it worked for him.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Medvedev on HC

2019 USO Final
2020 AO QF
2020 USO SF
2021 AO F
2021 USO W
2022 AO F
2022 USO R3
2023 AO R4
2023 USO F
2024 AO F
2024 USO QF

Nothing seems to be Over. He reached AO final and USO he lost to eventual winner. He has beaten Carlos at USO semis before, zero fluke. He was 2 sets to 0 up vs Sinner in AO.

You may WANT it to be over but its not.

 

[buscemi]

I'd like to know what you mean by "a regular Slam finalist." From 2019-2024, Medvedev has made 6 Major finals, an average of one a year, with 2 Major finals (and one Major title) in 2021 and no Major finals in 2020.

He's an underdog against both Sinner and Alcaraz now, but there are questions surrounding Sinner in the wake of the WADA case, and Alcaraz still seems susceptible to early round upsets. Meanwhile, Zverev is still a headcase, Tsitsipas seems to be on a downward spiral, and the newer young guns still seem a year or two off from winning at the business end of Majors.

All of which goes to say that I wouldn't be surprised to see Medvedev making a Major final each of the next two years, which would be consistent with his average.

 

[SinneGOAT]

 

[JJGUY]

forgot to mention the tv commentators kept reminding us he is still searching his first title of the season, a title-less season for Meddy is not acceptable!

 

[Razer]

Medvedev is in his late 20s, of course it is on the verge of being over. 2025 is his last year when we will see him in slam SF/F, after that he will be out. Zverev is also on short notice. Stefan too. These people don't have much time left because the time of the 2000s gen has started.

 

[NYTennisfan]

His days of being a regular slam finalist are likely over but I think he has a few hard court slam finals left in him, he's still a danger to top guys on HC's when he's on his game.

 

[NYTennisfan]

I'd like to know what you mean by "a regular Slam finalist." From 2019-2024, Medvedev has made 6 Major finals, an average of one a year, with 2 Major finals (and one Major title) in 2021 and no Major finals in 2020.

He's an underdog against both Sinner and Alcaraz now, but there are questions surrounding Sinner in the wake of the WADA case, and Alcaraz still seems susceptible to early round upsets. Meanwhile, Zverev is still a headcase, Tsitsipas seems to be on a downward spiral, and the newer young guns still seem a year or two off from winning at the business end of Majors.

All of which goes to say that I wouldn't be surprised to see Medvedev making a Major final each of the next two years, which would be consistent with his average.

He's been a pretty regular Hard Court slam finalist. 3 of the last 4 Australian Opens and 2 out of the last 4 U.S. Opens. 5 out of the last 8 Hard Court slams.

 

[RF-18]

Medvedev on HC

2019 USO Final
2020 AO QF
2020 USO SF
2021 AO F
2021 USO W
2022 AO F
2022 USO R3
2023 AO R4
2023 USO F
2024 AO F
2024 USO QF

Nothing seems to be Over. He reached AO final and USO he lost to eventual winner. He has beaten Carlos at USO semis before, zero fluke. He was 2 sets to 0 up vs Sinner in AO.

You may WANT it to be over but its not.

Good post. Someone with that resume on HC can never be counted out. I'm sure he will give himself a chance or two more.

 

[Razer]

His days of being a regular slam finalist are likely over but I think he has a few hard court slam finals left in him, he's still a danger to top guys on HC's when he's on his game.

He is not a danger to anyone in a GS Final, maybe he is a danger in the QF/even the SF.

I am sure Alcaraz will beat him with ease.

 

[ChaelAZ]

AO finalist
RG R16
Wimby SF
USO QF

What are we trying to down play here?

 

[buscemi]

He's been a pretty regular Hard Court slam finalist. 3 of the last 4 Australian Opens and 2 out of the last 4 U.S. Opens. 5 out of the last 8 Hard Court slams.

And I wouldn't be surprised to see Medvedev make the AO F in a few months, with Alcaraz being an unproven entity down under (his QF loss to Zverev this year being his best result) and Sinner possibly being a scratch depending on how the WADA appeal goes.

 

[NYTennisfan]

He is not a danger to anyone in a GS Final, maybe he is a danger in the QF/even the SF.

I am sure Alcaraz will beat him with ease.

Well, yeah, which would get him to a Final lol. The premise of the thread isn't winning slams, it's just appearing in Finals like he has been doing the last 4 years fairly regularly on Hard courts. There will be years when Sinner and/or Alcaraz get knocked out before a semi so draws will open up paving the way for guys like Medvedev to make a finals so he doesn't necessarily have to go through one of them to get to a final. Hell, Sinner just won a slam without having to face any top players outside of Med.

 

[ChrisJR3264]

He matches up better with sinner.
Alcaraz - no. Alcaraz seems to just juice the crap out of the ball not miss against med. actually thought medvedev played well this morning but alcaraz was just hitting on a different level and caught a few net cords.

To me it also is confidence factor. Daniil comes into this match usually overthinking his game knowing the aggressive groundstrokes and drop shots are coming. He’s stated before it amazes him how Carlos hits unusually hard and doesn’t seem to make many UF errors.

 

[nolefam_2024]

He matches up better with sinner.
Alcaraz - no. Alcaraz seems to just juice the crap out of the ball not miss against med. actually thought medvedev played well this morning but alcaraz was just hitting on a different level and caught a few net cords.

To me it also is confidence factor. Daniil comes into this match usually overthinking his game knowing the aggressive groundstrokes and drop shots are coming. He’s stated before it amazes him how Carlos hits unusually hard and doesn’t seem to make many UF errors.

Danill actually did well vs Carlos. It was very competitive. AO definitely and even USO are faster than Beijing and Danill will have enough chances vs Carlos at both.

 

[heavyD]

The threat of the Alcaraz drop shot hinders Medvedev's ability to hang at the back of the court for service returns.

 

[SonnyT]

Med is not yet 30, and there's still a long way to go! I bet better than even money that he'll get the 2nd!

 

[Lleytonstation]

Med is not yet 30, and there's still a long way to go! I bet better than even money that he'll get the 2nd!

25-26 he has just as good as a chance on hards at carlos. Top 3 favorite for 2 of 4 slams.

 

[Sputnik Bulgorov]

Danill actually did well vs Carlos. It was very competitive. AO definitely and even USO are faster than Beijing and Danill will have enough chances vs Carlos at both.

2-6 losing h2h to a 21 year old says he might be on his way to becoming a pigeon.

 

[Sputnik Bulgorov]

Well, yeah, which would get him to a Final lol. The premise of the thread isn't winning slams, it's just appearing in Finals like he has been doing the last 4 years fairly regularly on Hard courts. There will be years when Sinner and/or Alcaraz get knocked out before a semi so draws will open up paving the way for guys like Medvedev to make a finals so he doesn't necessarily have to go through one of them to get to a final. Hell, Sinner just won a slam without having to face any top players outside of Med.

Medvedev needs Sinner or Alcaraz to get upset for him to have a chance, and he needs to make sure he stays in the top 4. I don’t see him getting the better of these two in the long term.

 

[Djokodalerer31]

At this rate it's more likely that Djokovic wins his 25th grand slam title, than Medvedev reaches his 7th final...LOL And even if he does eventually, it's likely to happen AFTER the fact...

 

[Aabye5]

Draws are going to be very important. When he was a solid #2, he didn't have to worry about too many threats until the final.

Now, he will have at least three land mines to avoid. Zverev also played him pretty close, so it could be 4.

 

[RSJfan]

He will always have NY. Where he left Egg’s CYGS dream in a puddle of tears.

 

[Aabye5]

He will always have NY. Where he left Egg’s CYGS dream in a puddle of tears.

If you can make it there...you'll make it anywhere...

 

[Mainad]

It's beginning to look as if he's getting bypassed by Sincaraz, both of them younger, higher-ranked and busy dividing the Slams between them.

His time may have come and gone but.....we'll see.

 

[MichaelNadal]

He's been awfully close to winning another one... I really hope he does. Him and Zverev need to win slams in 25

 

[Djokodalerer31]

He will always have NY. Where he left Egg’s CYGS dream in a puddle of tears.

None of this matters now, because Djokovic ended up winning slam race anyway and left most of the significant records for himself and many of the smaller ones too! This would sting more as Novak fan if he ended up losing slam race to Rafa or never winning gold, but he ended up winning more slams than anyone in history with winning olympic gold and completing tennis on top of that! This is trivial miss now...many GOAT-tier legends like Sampras, Borg and even fellow big-3 members Fedal missed on the CYGS, nobody cares if one particular dinosaur, who dominated tennis before open era snatched one, when 3 of the 4 of slams were played on grass which rewarded him more than his biggest rivals, because of the way he played! I'd rather be known as slam record holder without CYGS to my name, than CYGS achiever without slam record!...2nd option is worse, especially considering that it can be (In theory) achieved by only winning 4 slams ever...LOL If i achieved CYGS, but those were the only 4 slams i have won i would still envy the guy, who holds grand slam title record with 20+ slams to his name and remarkable unprecedented longevity!...

 

[SonnyT]

At this rate it's more likely that Djokovic wins his 25th grand slam title, than Medvedev reaches his 7th final...LOL And even if he does eventually, it's likely to happen AFTER the fact...

I disagree! 2025 is a harbinger of what's to come for Djokovic!

 

[nolefam_2024]

A man who can't respect meddy don't deserve respect himself.

 

[Vincent-C]

He is not a danger to anyone in a GS Final, maybe he is a danger in the QF/even the SF.

I am sure Alcaraz will beat him with ease.

Mmm.

 

[SonnyT]

He is not a danger to anyone in a GS Final, maybe he is a danger in the QF/even the SF.

I am sure Alcaraz will beat him with ease.

Absolutely, as in '23 WB SF! He did beat him with absolute ease!

 

[fedfan24]

Alcaraz isn’t a lock for HC slams so Medvedev can still make finals. Don’t think he beats Sinner now. Really hope Zverev bags a slam soon to make it a bit more interesting at the top.

 

[RSJfan]

None of this matters now, because Djokovic ended up winning slam race anyway and left most of the significant records for himself and many of the smaller ones too! This would sting more as Novak fan if he ended up losing slam race to Rafa or never winning gold, but he ended up winning more slams than anyone in history with winning olympic gold and completing tennis on top of that! This is trivial miss now...many GOAT-tier legends like Sampras, Borg and even fellow big-3 members Fedal missed on the CYGS, nobody cares if one particular dinosaur, who dominated tennis before open era snatched one, when 3 of the 4 of slams were played on grass which rewarded him more than his biggest rivals, because of the way he played! I'd rather be known as slam record holder without CYGS to my name, than CYGS achiever without slam record!...2nd option is worse, especially considering that it can be (In theory) achieved by only winning 4 slams ever...LOL If i achieved CYGS, but those were the only 4 slams i have won i would still envy the guy, who holds grand slam title record with 20+ slams to his name and remarkable unprecedented longevity!...

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[aldeayeah]

Considering that Djokovic is going away sooner than later, I think Med's bound to have a couple more looks at a major title.

However, I do think Med's in the tail end of his days as a slam contender. Maybe one, two years left.

 

[Hitman]

The guy can still make slam finals, especially on hard courts. He only needs those top two to just slip a bit and he will pounce.

 

[Net Beast]

if he is. Good. 6 foot 12 inches with all the power of a 15 year old girl from the baseline. Has the dude ever heard of a weight room?

Did you mean a 14 year 12 month old girl?

 

[Dominic & Andrey]

Unless other young players get close to Sinner's and Alcaraz's level, he'll remain a good very strong contender to go really deep in HC slams.