“Like an octopus,” he admits. carlos alcaraz when i hear your name Daniel Medvedev. “He does almost everything well,” observes a commentator aware that Medvedev will face his toughest test this Friday on the road. Wimbledon and the season’s most seasoned figure, the Russian, is the only opponent he has faced who truly understands what it means to win a Grand Slam.
He seized the milestone at the 2021 US Open by taking advantage of Novak Djokovic, who battled anxiety while one game shy of completing the Grand Slam in men’s tennis—a feat achieved only by Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969. Medvedev crossed a barrier that has defeated many peers his age. Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime are among them. He rose to world number one and now aspires to challenge the dominance of the so-called Big Three. Yet a moment once collapsed them all. In the 2022 Australian Open final, Rafael Nadal from Moscow leveled the score 6-2, 7-6 (5) and 3-2 with Nadal holding serve at 40-0. Medvedev was on the cusp of adding a second straight Grand Slam, pushing two members of the historic trio further ahead. It stood as a high point that year, but the Spaniard lifted his game and mentally unsettled the Russian, who had built lofty expectations for 2022.
Not a single Masters event reached the 1,000-point final, he stumbled out in the last 16 at Roland Garros and the US Open, and he failed to advance beyond the group stage in the ATP Finals. He fell out of the global top five while his momentum seemed to evaporate. Early 2023 in Melbourne did not bring back fond memories, with a third-round loss to Sebastian Korda marking the end of the era of rapid ascent. That setback could havedefined Medvedev as the player who crumbles after reaching the peak of success.
And yet the opposite happened. Rotterdam, Doha, and Dubai followed in rapid succession; he beat Djokovic in the second round of one tournament. Indian Wells saw him fall to Alcaraz in the final, followed by a victory in Miami. He won 27 of 29 matches and then pivoted to the clay season, where a personal struggle with the surface began. “I don’t relish dirt under my shoes. I’m not sure others do either, but I carry it all over my boots and socks…” he joked, easing into Monte Carlo, advancing to the third round in Madrid and triumphing in Rome. Those results cemented his status as the favourite at Roland Garros.
a nightmare on earth
Disappointment struck with a first-round exit at Paris, where Medvedev faced world No. 172 Thiago Seyboth Wild. Yet the mood inside the camp remained positive. “I’m glad the world is ending,” he said, savoring the closing chapters of a tough season. He had not spent much time on grass ahead of Wimbledon, suffering early losses in s’Hertogenbosch and a quarterfinal finish in Halle.
Still, the course altered at Wimbledon. A path through Arthur Fery, Adrian Mannarino, Marton Fucsovics, Jiri Lehecka, and Christopher Eubanks led to a match against the one adversary who had managed to limit his points in Indian Wells. Medvedev commented on the upcoming clash with Carlos Alcaraz, noting a surface slow enough to stress service points and a track record that suggested free points would be harder to come by there.
“It is fascinating to play against Carlos. He is an extraordinary player who is just twenty years old. His strength lies in reducing errors under pressure while maintaining power. And he has shown that.”
“He is very tall and plays exceptionally well on grass,” Alcaraz replied. “He is having a remarkable year, and I already lost to him on this surface, so I will learn from the experience. He is very complete, and many have noted that he resembles an octopus—he covers every ball. What an athlete.”
Both players advanced to the All England Club semifinals, their clash representing a budding rivalry that has already produced one epic result. Medvedev captured the second-round triumph in Wimbledon 2021 when Alcaraz was just 18 and was playing the first match of his professional life in five sets. The second meeting occurred in the aforementioned Indian Wells final. Both have since become fixtures among the sport’s elite, shaping one of the season’s most anticipated duels.