Daniil Medvedev's heartbreaking Australian Open final loss to Rafael Nadal still continues to affect him, says tennis journalist

Daniil Medvedev's premature exit from the 2023 Australian Open in the third round was shockingly unexpected. Trying to find a reason for the same, tennis journalists Steve Flink and Gill Gross have attributed a lot of his issues to lingering wounds from last year's Australian Open final against Rafael Nadal.

At this year’s edition in Melbourne Park, Medvedev lost to Sebastian Korda in straight sets in the third round. The loss was completely unforeseen as the Russian had played two consecutive finals at the Australian open in the years prior.

The former World No. 1 lost the 2022 Australian Open final to the Spaniard in a five hour and 24 minute-long thriller. The Russian was up two-sets-to-love before Nadal mounted a glorious comeback and won the remaining three sets to clinch his 21st Grand Slam title.

The result of the match seems to have had long-term consequences for Medvedev as his form has dipped significantly since the loss. His loss in the fourth round of the US Open, where he was the defending champion, coupled with the loss at the recently concluded Australian Open, shows a substantial dip in form for the Russian.

Steve Flink echoed this popular sentiment in the latest episode of the 'Monday Match Analysis' podcast, claiming that the loss against Rafael Nadal was a critical career loss as it was a golden missed opportunity for the Russian.

"I think it was a golden missed opportunity for Medevedev," Steve Flink said. "I don't think he's ever been quite the same since."

He also opined that it would be tough for Daniil Medvedev to make his way back to the World No. 1 ranking or to get back to winning Majors. Flink acknowledged that issues such as Medvedev's hernia problem and the Wimbledon ban on Russian players were out of his control. However, he contended that the 26-year-old should have worked out a solution to his issues by now.

"He's had plenty of time, I think to put the ship back in order," he journalist suggested.

He went on to say that letting the opportunity to win a second straight Major slip out of his fingers has caused a recurring consistency issue for Daniil Medvedev and that it will be fascinating to see him climb out of the hole he has found himself in.

Interestingly, Medvedev himself has commented that he is perplexed by the cosistency issues plaguing him at the moment.

Players have learned to exploit Daniil Medvedev's weaknesses, say tennis journalists

Daniil Medvedev's early loss at the 2023 Australian Open meant that he dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in over three years. Journalist Gill Gross is of the view that while Medvedev deserves to be in the top 10, he will never get back to being World No. 1 due to the limitations in his style of play.

"There are too many holes in his game that now the top players understand how to exploit," Gross said.

The journalists pointed out that the power of Medvedev's forehand, his inability to adjust his deep return position and his weakness against the slice and drop shots are clear limitations that players now know to exploit.

They cited his recent losses to Nick Kyrgios, Stefanos Tsistipas and Novak Djokovic as proof of their theory. Each of the aforementioned players employed a strategy of serving and volleying to negate the Russian's deep return position to clinch victory over him.

With the emergence of talented young players, the journalists question Daniil Medvedev's ability to get back to his winning ways, at least consistently enough to regain the top spot in the ATP rankings.