Daniil Medvedev weighs in on Mensik, Fonseca; Rublev-Safin partnership

Madrid

Medvedev weighs in on Mensik, Fonseca & Tien; shares thoughts on Rublev-Safin partnership

World No. 10 speaks to ATPTour.com ahead of the Mutua Madrid Open

@mutuamadridopen/Alberto Nevado Daniil Medvedev's best result in Madrid was a quarter-final run last year. By Sam Jacot

The #NextGenATP stars are making waves in 2025 and their rapid rises are hard to ignore. Learner Tien made history at the Australian Open, where he became the youngest man to reach the fourth round since 2005, Joao Fonseca captured his first tour-level title in Buenos Aires and Jakub Mensik shocked Novak Djokovic to claim his first ATP Masters 1000 crown in Miami.

For World No. 10 Daniil Medvedev, the surge of these young talents is a reminder of how the landscape of tennis is changing. Having fallen to Tien at the Australian Open, Medvedev is all too aware of the rising threat from these hungry up-and-comers.

“The next generation, especially the guys coming through in the last year are very strong,” Medvedev told ATPTour.com on Media Day in Madrid. “They’ve put themselves on the big stage pretty quickly. Jakub just won a Masters 1000, which is amazing. At 19, I was still playing Challengers. So, it’s great for him.

“He played really well at the Australian Open too, as did Learner and Joao. There are a lot of strong guys coming up. I think it’s a very talented generation. We’ll see how it unfolds though, it is early stages and hard to predict.”

Medvedev knows firsthand that consistency is key to success. The 29-year-old won 20 tour-level titles between 2018 and 2023, spending the majority of the past seven years inside the Top 10.

“I think consistency is the toughest challenge,” Medvedev said. “Everyone has different weapons. If I compare Learner and Joao, they’re two different types of players. Learner is more of a counter-attacking player, but still able to attack with intelligence. Joao is, of course, also very smart, but his game is about pure power. You see some of the forehands he unleashes. It’s about understanding your game better and developing your skills.

“I’m pretty sure both of them will make the Top 10 at some point. Whether they’ll be No. 1 for 220 weeks or stay in the Top 10, though, is something only time will tell. Tennis is a tough sport with so much competition.”

Andrey Rublev knows all too well about the power Fonseca possesses. The Brazilian defeated Rublev at the Australian Open. In a quest to improve his game, Rublev has since added former World No. 1 Marat Safin to his coaching team, with the pair joining forces for the first time in Monte-Carlo.

Good friends with Rublev and Safin, Medvedev shared his thoughts on their partnership.

“Having Marat on Tour is great. It’s nice to have him around the lounge and everything. With his experience, he could help anyone,” Medvedev said. “I wonder how it will work long-term, but so far, I think it’s going great. The results have come in just two tournaments, so we’ll see how things go further.

"I’m trying not to get too much into it because I could ask Andrey, ‘Oh my god, how’s it working? What’s he telling you?’ But I always respect other people's personal space. I do know a little about their conversations or how things are going, but I try not to intrude. I think it’s always the same: if you believe something can work, it can be with anyone.”

This week, Medvedev will hope to get his season back on track when he competes at the Mutua Madrid Open. The World No. 10 did reach the semi-finals in Indian Wells in March but has struggled to find his best level this year, holding a 14-8 record.

"Honestly, I feel great. The season hasn’t been perfect and I know that. I’m okay with admitting it. But here I’m feeling great," Medvedev said. "I’m practising well, doing all the right things and I believe they’re going to pay off eventually.

“I have been trying everything. Sometimes I practise with someone new, sometimes just with Gilles [Cervara]. We have experimented with new shots, maybe new trajectories on clay. Other times, we decide that it’s not bad and we just need to find that final step. We are trying everything and we will just stick to the right lead.”

Medvedev, chasing his first title since Rome in 2023, will face Laslo Djere in his opening match on Friday in the Spanish capital.

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