Medvedev loses again and descends into madness: "I should start playing pickleball"
Another defeat for Daniil: he will arrive at the US Open with only one win in the North American tour... triggering a new surreal speech in the middle of the match.
No trace remains of Daniil Medvedev from the beginning of the season. After a promising end to 2025, the Russian seemed to have regained that brave and aggressive style at times, with his serve as a renewed fortress and facing the best in the world without fear. Nobody competed better against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, for example, in the Indian Wells-Rome stretch, with a victory over the Spaniard and very competitive matches in the desert and the Italian capital against the Italian: unfortunately, none of the foundations of that version of the Russian remain.
It’s never too late to be reborn, but tonight has marked a new sinking in a streak that is starting to become concerning. The Russian requested a last-minute wildcard to compete in the Winston-Salem tournament, which seemed like a great opportunity to regain some form before the US Open. A 250-level event, a wide draw to avoid big threats and build some confidence: the premises were good, but Daniil still seems unwilling to suffer on the court. He himself applied a severe diagnosis before Cincinnati, pointing out that mentally he was not capable of maintaining the demands of an ATP match, a problem he could not solve either in a clear defeat against Martin Damm Jr (7-5, 6-3).
What’s wrong with Medvedev? The Russian delivered a crazy speech before losing again
It’s now three defeats in four matches for Daniil on this North American hard court tour: his form heading into the US Open is perhaps at the lowest point since he arrived in the professional elite. The problem goes beyond tennis: he is completely lost when facing difficult moments, perhaps hiding a clear lack of motivation to compete at the highest level. Thus, it is a mental issue that he has not resolved even by changing his team (he fired Johansson and his latest signing for this tour, Andrey Golubev, does not seem to be yielding many results).
Never change, Meddy 🤣@WSOpen pic.twitter.com/kpQy1Omyv2
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 26, 2026
The Russian's latest moment came mid-match against Damm, delivering a speech that exemplifies very well all the doubts and internal demons roaming freely in his mind. He did it, moreover, in English, leaving behind his first language, as if he wanted to be heard by the world: it seems like a minor detail, but it turns his speech into a kind of cry for help. "Maybe I should start competing in pickleball. It’s not too late. I should play with Jack Sock, in doubles. Right now, any sport on the face of the earth is better than tennis. Even curling", he remarked while looking the chair umpire in the eye.
Daniil's weariness with the racket sport goes back a long way: he has stated on several occasions over the last two years that he has lost the freshness and hunger he had as a teenager, the unpredictability of that guy who was unafraid to challenge Nadal or Djokovic. The power of the latest generations, the difficulty of evolving within his unorthodox playing style, and his unpredictable character have added fuel to a fire that is hard to extinguish. Will he manage to put it out before the US Open? Tick, tock.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Medvedev vuelve a perder y desciende a la locura: "Debería empezar a jugar al pickleball"