Following a brief vacation in Ibiza after Wimbledon, Daniil Medvedev has begun the US Open hard-court season with renewed energy and positive results at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The former world No. 1 admitted it was his first time visiting Ibiza, a place praised by his peers, where he balanced relaxation and leisure with preparation.
“It was my first time there, and I’d heard only good things from my friends,” Medvedev said. “You can do anything there: you can sit and chill or go to the party. We kind of did all of it, so it was pretty fun. I always try to have some kind of time to relax, so I can come back to the practice court and meet with my team to work even harder. It’s great that it’s been working for a couple of matches.”
Medvedev reflected candidly on his recent early Slam exits, highlighting the frustration of losing in the first round at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon despite feeling his level was decent. “After Wimbledon, I was sitting there and felt like I didn’t play that bad, but you’re losing first round and you know that the guy is probably going to lose in the second or third round,” he said. “I was like, ‘Damn, I didn’t play that bad and I’m losing first round of a Grand Slam, second time in a row.’ It does bother me.”
He emphasized the importance of resilience and hard work to move forward: “After a couple of days in Ibiza, you realize that the only way forward is to work hard. If it doesn’t work out, then that’s life. Life is ups and downs with some bumps on the road. I sometimes take a good example of some players who are 30 and doing amazing results. Some players after 30 just drop down. So, anything is possible. I just need to do my best.”
Medvedev’s DC Open campaign started with a satisfying win against Benjamin Bonzi, the player who had ousted him at Wimbledon. “He made one bad game on serve, which he didn’t do at Wimbledon at all,” Medvedev said. “I broke him and then I didn’t serve for the set. I think I won the tiebreaker, which is actually funny because I lost the two tiebreaks at Wimbledon.”
Despite recent dips in form and ranking, Medvedev remains optimistic about his ability to compete at the highest level. “I know that, when I’m playing good, I can beat anyone—literally anyone. Maybe against Carlos and Jannik, the odds are going to be on their side but I can still beat them. Against any other player, I’ve beaten most of them many times,” he stated after defeating Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-2.
“So, I know when I come back to this level, I can beat anyone. That’s where the optimism comes from, and I’m working hard trying to find this rhythm. Then the results and rankings can come.”