Medvedev concealed shoulder problems for a year: "It hurt me every day"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 25 Jul 2025 | 12.00

Medvedev Hid Shoulder Problems for a Year: "It Hurt Me Every Day". Photo: Getty Images

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Stepping onto the hard court changes everything for Daniil Medvedev. His physique, his face, his mood, and above all, his tennis. And that is what he needs the most, to find his game after some rather inconsistent tours on clay and grass, which have pushed him out of the top 10 (ranked 14th in the ATP standings), and led to early exits at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and the second round defeat at the Australian Open. Therefore, the Moscow native needs to regain confidence in his tennis, and what better place than the North American hardcourt swing, the same stage where he clinched his only Grand Slam, the 2021 US Open.

For now, he is progressing well in the ATP Washington after coming back to defeat Reilly Opelka in his opening match (3-6, 7-5, 6-1) and dominating Yibing Wu (6-3, 6-2) in the round of 16. Next up is the ever-controversial and talented Corentin Moutet in the quarterfinals. How far the Russian can go on this swing is still uncertain, but he knows it's an opportunity he must seize if he wants to return among the world's top ten tennis players.

Hidden discomfort that emerges a year later

The former world number one has the chance to claim the title in Washington, something he has not achieved since winning the Masters 1000 in Rome in 2023. This dry spell of over two years might have been influenced by a shoulder discomfort that Medvedev never disclosed and only recently revealed during his stay in the United States.

"To be honest, I had a complete season, or rather, 365 days, with a lot of shoulder pain. It's been much better for some time now, so I can continue working on it," he revealed in the on-court interview following his victory over Wu.

As expected, when passing through mixed zone, he was asked about this undisclosed revelation: "If I remember correctly, it would be from mid-2023 to mid-2024. It was painful almost all the time. Sometimes more. Sometimes less. It's not easy because in many training sessions, you want to work on the serve, but I didn't because I was afraid of aggravating it further. However, we found a way to work on it, and I've been pain-free for quite a while now, since mid-2024," the Muscovite comments.

Furthermore, the discomfort was not limited to serving, hindering his effectiveness on a surface where it's crucial, but also impacted his right-hand strokes: "When it happened, it also bothered me in the right arm. In fact, I felt like I lacked general energy as well. Whenever you have some pain, it's not easy to play with it."

In fact, under these circumstances, he reached the final of the 2023 US Open, after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals, although he couldn't prevail against Novak Djokovic. He also played that tournament with a lot of pain: "Eventually, you try to cope with the pain. I managed to reach the final of the 2023 US Open, which was an incredible stretch on my part, but I had shoulder pain every day. So, it's not the end of the world, but surely it's better to live without pain, and right now I have none," assures Medvedev, who, now fully recovered, aims to reclaim his best tennis and highest ranking, and this involves going far in this North American hardcourt swing.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Medvedev ocultó problemas de hombro durante un año: "Me dolía cada día"