Daniil Medvedev has an honest take on how fatherhood affected his tennis

There are many great tennis moms out there, and we've heard their perspectives on work-life balance and parenthood, but tennis fans have rarely heard the father's side of the story. Daniil Medvedev is currently competing in the Miami Open where he is the defending champion. He defeated Marton Fucsovics in the second round.

Medvedev has had his fair share of shenanigans on a tennis court but fatherhood seems to have an effective rub on him. He became a father back in October 2022. He doesn't take time away from playing tennis because, well...that is how he earns a living for himself and his family.

Still, the Russian does seem to know where his priorities lies. Winning tennis matches is a good thing, but being there for his young daughter is something else completely. Plus, Medvedev knows who to give credit to when he is away playing tennis and who is making sure his child is growing up happy and healthy.

Daniil Medvedev was asked how parenting has impacted him as a person and a player

Medvedev replied, "As a player I don't think it changed me, to be honest, but hopefully it helps me mature a little bit. Many times I’m still immature on the court, but I feel like I’m improving slowly every year. That’s my goal. In life, hopefully, yeah that made me more mature, also, more responsible."

Medvedev gave a lot of credit to his wife, Daria, as he elaborated on his work-life balance.

"It's not easy with tennis because, if you wanna see your daughter a lot, then your wife has to sacrifice a lot because she has to travel with the baby and many times it's her taking the plane and not me. And a plane with a baby is not that easy. I've done it a couple of times, she has done it ten times more than me."

Medvedev also said it's about finding a balance of effort from both the parents. Medvedev said, "Sometimes my wife sacrifices some of her time and energy to come to the tournament with our daughter and sometimes I have to practice less somewhere or maybe during the tournament, to try to find the time. Before in the past, I would be in full tennis mode. Now, I need to find the balance to see my daughter also, otherwise, it's not a good life."

That's what we call outstanding parenting on both sides. Daniil Medvedev seemed to understand that simply paying the bills is insufficient and that you must be physically present for your child, which is fantastic. Many people are interested in learning more about this aspect of players' break point.

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