MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — After the season he's coming off, 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev is celebrating his run to the third round at the Australian Open as positive progress.
His results in Grand Slam events in 2025 — losing in the first round at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open after a second-round exit in Australia, after smashing a tiny camera attached to the net while avoiding a monumental upset in the first — were his worst since his debut season in 2017.
He lost his cool in New York and was fined $42,500 by the U.S. Open — more than a third of his $110,000 tournament prize money — for his meltdown during a first-round loss after a photographer wandered onto the court during the match.
He won a single title in 2025 — at Almaty, Kazakhstan in October — from 24 tournaments contested, and only reached one other final. He has 22 career titles.
Nothing much was working for the three-time Australian Open runner-up.
So after he dropped the first set Wednesday against French qualifier Quentin Halys in the second round, he had to mentality set it aside and start all over again.
“Performance could be better I think, but a win is a win,” he said. “Last year on Slams, when people played good against me, I was struggling.
“So I’m happy that I managed to win it, turning it around and ... looking forward for next rounds.”
He reached three finals in four years at the Australian Open but lost them all, including the 2024 championship to Jannik Sinner.
The 29-year-old Russian opened this year with a title in Brisbane, and now he's on a seven-match winning streak in Australia. He has put 2025 behind him. The difference, he said, comes down to mentality.
When he was regularly in the top five and going deep at the majors, he expected to win all the time. Now he's learned to compartmentalize, and can put losing — games, sets or matches — behind him.
“I managed to fight. I was losing with a break in the second — I mean, you saw the match. Why am I telling you?” Medvedev said in his on-court interview Wednesday. “His forehand was on fire. He didn’t miss much. He made some unbelievable ones.
“Very tough match mentally but I'm happy (I could) dig deep and managed to win it.”
He's looking forward to his next match against Fabian Marozsan of Hungary, and won't think any further than that for now.
“I need to rebuild my confidence step by step,” he said. “Always, always keep the faith!”
More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
What the Constitution Means to Me Read moreWhat The Constitution Means To Me
You're invited to our Sale Like a Celebrity event, hosted by Expedia Cruises. Join us at Rou… Read moreCelebrity Cruises Special Event
Join us for community fun! Free antique and collectible appraisals by Clars Auction. Over 30… Read moreMillbrae Senior Showcase
Kick off 2026 with movement, confidence, and FUN! Join us for our Last Chance to Dance Studi… Read moreLast Chance to Dance Open House- Free Dance Demos, Food, Face Painting & More!
Join the Belmont Parks and Recreation Department as we host our annual Sweetheart Dance for … Read moreSweetheart Dance
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.