Medvedev: "When I was among the top five in the world, I was already thinking about what I could do against Alcaraz and Sinner"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 9 Jan 2026 | 18.00

Medvedev: "When I was among the top five in the world, I was already thinking about what I could do against Alcaraz and Sinner." Photo: Gettyimages

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Daniil Medvedev, little by little, is returning to where he belongs. The Russian, after a forgettable 2025, took flight towards the end of the season with his two new coaches, Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, and in this 2026, he seems to have regained his tennis and, above all, the lost enthusiasm.

The Moscow native has started the year on the rise with three wins in three matches in the ATP Brisbane 2026 and after completing a great comeback against Kamil Majchrzak, in a match that had him on the ropes but from which he emerged victorious (6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2) to secure his spot in the semifinals. After the win, he attended the press conference, where he spoke about the high level of the Polish player, his good preseason, his relationship with his new coaches, and about the two best players in the world: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Surprised by Kamil Majchrzak's great game

"I think, overall, there is a debate about whether players were stronger before or if they are stronger now. Firstly, it's impossible to know for sure. You never know, but I think the level from the top 30 to top 100 players is probably a bit more uniform, because Kamil, in my opinion, played at the level of the top 10 in the first set and maybe a little worse in the second, like the top 20, and like the top 50 in the third set. But it's not easy to play at the level of the top 10 throughout the match."

Pleased with how he managed to turn around a very tough match

"That's why I am very happy with the match because I managed to stay calm, composed, and play incredible tennis with some standout moments. I think it was tight. I would say in the first set, I would place myself among the top 10 or 20, because there was a careless game on my serve where I missed all the first serves and lost it. Without that, maybe I would have won the first set."

"And the same in the tie-break, I think I only got in two out of five first serves. But in the second and third set, I was definitely among the top five. Incredible, not making many mistakes, running well, serving like a demon, volleying, everything. So I am very happy with my level in these three matches and looking forward to more."

For the first time in a long time, he has had a longer preseason

"I love this preseason work. I usually work hard physically. I work hard on tennis, mentally, and usually come out better after the preseason. But when you play in Turin, you have a shorter preseason, so this is the first time in probably six or seven years that I have had a longer preseason, and it's working very well."

Medvedev has been thinking for years about how to beat Alcaraz and Sinner

"I'll be honest, when I was among the top three or four, I thought a lot about what to do with Carlos and Jannik, what I could improve, and all that. Last year, I didn't play against them because I played terribly and never reached the rounds where I could face them. So this preseason, I didn't think about them at all."

"I thought, 'Okay, how can I get back to the level where I can play to, first of all, beat others and then if I get to play against him, I will talk to my new team and see what we can do?' That's all I can say because, again, if I end up playing against them, that's fine, because last year I didn't play well enough to face them."

About what each of his coaches brings: Rohan Goetzke and Thomas Johansson

"Rohan is also an important part of the team because, first of all, he is in daily contact with Thomas, so they are a real duo, so to speak. It's not that when Thomas is here, he is the coach and that's it, and when Rohan is here, he is the coach and that's it. No, they really work together, and from what I feel, they enjoy working together, and that's great because that's the goal. Otherwise, it wouldn't work."

"I would say that Thomas takes care of more of the daily work, he is with me every day, trying to follow the process, and Rohan is there a little less time and is more or less the same, a bit more technical, like the volley, the serve, the forehand, the backhand, perhaps a bit like if the ball is high, you should do this, in the volley you should do this, a bit more technical," concludes a Daniil Medvedev more rested than ever and with a lot of hunger before the Open de Australia.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Medvedev: "Cuando estaba entre los cinco mejores del mundo ya pensaba en qué podía hacer ante Alcaraz y Sinner"