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Daniil Medvedev's future on the ATP Tour has been called into question by his former compatriot, a former World No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion with a reputation for telling the truth as it is.
Medvedev is in the middle of one of the worst seasons of his career, probably the worst since he became a known name in the tennis world. At the Grand Slam level, he only made the second round at the Australian Open, followed by first-round exits at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open most recently.
The Russian has not won an ATP Tour title since 2023, when he won the Italian Open. In 2024, he reached two finals and lost them both, while in 2025 he reached one at the Halle Open but ended up losing to Alexander Bublik.
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A former World No. 1, Medvedev has fallen out of the top 10 since, and is even at risk of falling out of the seeding places at Grand Slams next year if the trend continues. With all the doom and gloom surrounding him, ex-ATP No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov has predicted that the future is even more uncertain for him, especially with Medvedev's huge team change after the US Open.
Kafelnikov was of the opinion that considering Daniil Medvedev's age, the odds of him finding a new coach and then listening to his advice to transform his career around were astronomical.
"Understand, the problem is this: athletes in such a status do not want to listen to anyone, they do not perceive anyone. Whoever Medvedev is given now, he will not perceive this person as a coach, as a mentor and do everything perfectly that he is told. Next year he will be 30 years old - this is the age when any radical changes will not bring any sense," Kafelnikov said in an interview with TASS (via Championat).
Kafelnikov further added that he simply could not fathom what Medvedev wants to achieve in the future, saying:
"Medvedev has a huge number of titles. I do not know what he wants to achieve, what motivation he still has. To win a Grand Slam tournament? To return to the first line in the rankings? I do not know. Unfortunately, everything is not as rosy as many want to see."
Of all Daniil Medvedev's Grand Slam exits in 2025, the US Open one was the most controversial, with the match ending in a thrilling five-setter and a dramatic moment where the Russian screamed at a photographer. For his outburst, he was handed a huge fine by the ATP.
Daniil Medvedev slips to World No. 18 after US Open exit
Following his exit at the 2025 US Open, Daniil Medvedev is on the verge of going out of the Top-20 in the world, and is now down to World No. 18 -- a drop of five spots from the start of the tournament.
The Russian is set to start his Asian swing at Hangzhou next, followed by the Shanghai Masters and then the China Open in Beijing. At this moment, the chances of him making the ATP Finals are remote, although not entirely ruled out mathematically.
