Where did Daniil Medvedev go? The fairly divisive, but always fun, Russian was once at the top of the tennis world. In the last couple of years, however, he has fallen in the rankings and has been in no position to challenge for the top three.
His time seemed done. He even seemed as if he might not want to continue to have to put in the work that makes him a potential top-three player, but what does he do? He begins 2026 by winning the ATP 250 event, the Brisbane International.
Is it a major tournament? Not at all, but it is a great warm-up to the first Grand Slam event of the year, the Australian Open. Medvedev, currently ranked No. 12 in the live rankings, has found success in Melbourne previously, too. To get back to being one of the top-ranked players on the ATP tour, he probably needs a great beginning to this year.
Daniil Medvedev starts off 2026 in brilliant form
That is something he failed to do in 2025. He lost in the second round of a major he had been a three-time finalist in. He might not have ever won the Aussie Open, but he at least hinted he could until last year.
After defeating Brendon Nakashima 6-2 7-6(1) in Brisbane, he has now won one more tournament than he did in 2024. He matched his total from 2025, which also came in a 250 event, the little-known Almaty Open in Kazakhstan in October of last year. He needed that tournament for his confidence as much as anything else.
He might have needed the Brisbane International title at the start of 2026 for the same reason (though, oddly, Medvedev has now won two of the last four tournaments he has entered, even though they have been against lesser competition). Entering the Australian Open, which begins on January 17 in full, Daniil Medvedev should not be discounted.
He has also been, as he has called himself, a hard-court specialist, and he might be learning that while he doesn't have a true knock-out shot, he is a smart enough player to stay in matches he shouldn't. One thing is sure, however, and that is the Russian is sure to say something on the court in Melbourne that will be highly entertaining.