Daniil’s Destiny: Short-Term Pain Fuels Long-Term Gain

Daniil Medvedev’s week at the Nitto ATP Finals didn’t pan out as he had hoped, but he’s confident that the experience will serve him well in the future.

The Russian admitted that he’s a player who needs a first run to learn the ropes of a new environment before excelling. He lost his first ATP Tour final in 2017 Chennai (l. to Bautista Agut) before bouncing back to win his next three tour-level finals the following year. Medvedev also fell in his first ATP Masters 1000 final this year in Montreal (l. to Nadal) before regrouping with Masters 1000 crowns in Cincinnati (d. Goffin) and Shanghai (d. Zverev).

Although he departed The O2 in London with an 0-3 record in Group Andre Agassi, history indicates there won’t be a repeat if he’s able to qualify again next year.

“I always said that for me, the experience of something new is the key and it was my first time in the [Nitto] ATP Finals,” Medvedev said after his loss on Friday to Alexander Zverev. “I tried to remember if I actually had any good first-time experiences in tennis… I don’t think I ever did. 

“I’m the guy who needs to know how it is before really getting into it. Hopefully this experience will help me if I will have the chance to be in another [Nitto] ATP Finals during the next years.”

Read More: Medvedev’s Secret Is Out: He’s Ready To Challenge The Big Three 

In July, Medvedev was an outside contender to appear at the season-ending championships. But the Russian quickly leaped into the Top 8 of the ATP Race to London after producing a magical three-month run of results. In addition to his Masters 1000 success, he clinched his maiden ATP Tour crown on home soil in St. Petersburg (d. Coric) and first Grand Slam final at the US Open (l. to Nadal).

Medvedev’s season highlights also include a title in Sofia (d. Fucsovics) and runner-up showings in Brisbane (l. to Nishikori), Barcelona (l. to Thiem), and Washington, D.C. (l. to Kyrgios). He finished the year with more tour-level wins (59) than any other player.

Most Tour-Level Wins In 2019

The 23-year-old arrived in London at a career-high No. 4 in the ATP Rankings and is guaranteed to finish the year inside the Top 5. But Medvedev has always strived for bigger and better. He has drastically improved his ranking each year since arriving on Tour and is optimistic that next season will yield a similar result.

“It’s always a question with my team for the next year to come,” Medvedev said. “After the end of the year, we always try to analyse what parts of the season we could have done better [and] what we could do better overall. [But] we are also trying to do the same thing, practise as hard as I can and work physically to be 100 per cent fit.”