Unbothered—or eternal optimist—Daniil Medvedev looks towards the future at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia—Between the tennis court and the press room, tennis fans typically see two sides of Daniil Medvedev. One side openly battles through emotional upheaval, the other, more calm and circumspect.

For all his struggles in 2025, the former No. 1 never appeared particularly worried about the long-term state of his game. While some mused that his days competing at the top of men’s tennis were over, Medvedev was eager to look at tomorrow as another day.

Tomorrow finally came for the 2021 US Open champion at the end of last season, and the day has only gotten longer in 2026 as Medvedev remains unbeaten through six matches Down Under. Already a champion at the Brisbane International, the No. 11 seed overcame Jesper de Jong in three sets to reach the second round of a Grand Slam tournament for the only the second time in his last five outings.

Asked the secret to his ability to leave his frustrations on the court, the endlessly quotable Medvedev opined in classic style:

Q. Going back to last year, I feel like when things are maybe not going as well for you, you would maybe be frustrated on the court, but you would come to press and maybe not seem as concerned with where things were going. I feel like now, looking back, things are going well, were you more concerned than you were letting on? How do you find that sort of optimism?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's a tough question, for sure. In general, outside of the court, I try to be more optimistic than when I am on the court. That's just the way I am, the way a lot of tennis players are.

It's just that they show their frustrations differently. A lot of tennis players are negative on the court. Like you miss a forehand, Oh, my God, my forehand is not going well. Yeah, man, but you're up 6-3, 5-3.

That's me, as well. Again, I had a long preseason. Last year was tough. I'm feeling great with my new team, so I don't really go too much into the past. What happened last year happened, and it's okay. It's part of career, part of life. I managed to finish the year like 12 or 13, which is, to be honest, it's great for many players.

Of course I was not happy. It was first year I was not in Turin maybe after 7 or 8 years. It was still not that bad, and end of the year was better than the year itself.

I made a big push to try to be more positive on the court. So far I'm doing it well, but I'm never the guy to say, okay, now, not anymore. We don't know what's coming, but just trying to be positive on the court as I am in life, actually.

It might be tough for someone to come from a Daniil Medvedev match and imagine him seeing the glass as half full, but playing the long game has appeared to pay off for the three-time Australian Open finalist. He’ll next face Quentin Halys for the chance to reach his first Grand Slam third round since the 2024 US Open.