Just In: Daniil Medvedev opens up on retiring from tennis after bruising US Open exit
Daniil Medvedev enjoyed something of a resurgent run in Flushing Meadows this fortnight, reaching the second week without dropping a set. But he suffered a one-sided defeat to Frances Tiafoe in the last 16, and admitted that a fourth-round finish wasn’t good enough by his standards.
Medvedev is a former world No. 1 and lifted the US Open trophy in 2021. But he came into this year’s tournament flying under the radar after suffering opening-round defeats at the Canadian Open and the ATP 250 event in Winston-Salem.
While his run to the second week of the US Open was still positive, the current world No. 8 has explained that the round of 16 isn’t enough, and if there is ever a day when he’s happy with that result, he may as well retire.
“It’s like today’s match. It’s not bad, but if I’m happy with the fourth round, I better stop playing tennis,” Medvedev declared after losing 7-6 6-4 7-6.
The former champion still kept a good perspective on his run this year and admitted it was better than he thought. But he still wasn’t satisfied with his performance against home favourite Tiafoe.
Medvedev explained: “I’m not happy with the result. I’m happy with the way I managed to turn things around, kind of. Played three good matches. Maybe if you talk about rankings, [my] first two opponents, coming from qualies, wildcard.
But Arthur [Rinderknech] is a tough opponent, and I managed to beat him three sets to love. But today, disappointing match, disappointing level. So I’m definitely not happy, but it’s maybe a bit better than what I would expect after the three US tournaments before.”
It may take a few days for Medvedev to get over his one-sided defeat to Tiafoe, but the 30-year-old can carry his momentum forward into the Asian swing, and still has hopes of lifting more Major trophies.
“I think that’s the beauty of sport. Tennis is anything can happen in a matter of a couple of weeks. Sometimes it’s magic,” he added.
“At this moment, I guess I’m doubting myself a little bit, and that’s the case of today’s match. You know, we can talk about Frances, we can talk about me, but the reality is I lost three sets to love, and I know I can play ten times better than I did today. Was it a bad match? No, but I can play so much better. If I want to win Grand Slams, I need to play better.
“That’s basically it. I do believe I can, because I show it from time to time on the tennis court. But I just need to become more consistent and play better more times.”
