Daniil Medvedev is already thinking about how to beat Jannik Sinner in 2025 (Image: Getty)
is already targeting as he heads into the off-season.
For the first time since 2017, the Russian has ended the year without lifting a single trophy. Medvedev has been consistent all year but has often been bested by world No. 1 Sinner, who has denied him plenty of titles.
And the former US Open champion is now going into his training block with Sinner on his mind as he made a defiant 11-word statement about his goals for 2025.
Medvedev has had an unusual season. He will end the year as the world No. 5 after reaching two big finals at the Australian Open and Indian Wells, and going deep at several other events.
But the 28-year-old has zero titles to show for his efforts. And one of his biggest hurdles this year has been Sinner, who has turned their rivalry on its head. Medvedev won his first six matches against the Italian but Sinner has now taken eight of their last nine meetings.
The Russian did get one win over Sinner in 2024, in their quarter-final. But he’s otherwise lost his edge against the 22-year-old. And he’s hoping to fix that.
Medvedev will enjoy a couple of weeks away from the sport altogether, taking a trip to the south of France with his family. But when he returns to training with his coach Gilles Simon, he will be focused on beating Sinner.
Gilles Simon will have his first pre-season training experience with Daniil Medvedev (Image: Getty)
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The world No. 5 added Simon to his coaching camp just under a year ago, though the Frenchman hasn’t had much time to make too much difference to Medvedev’s game during the busy tennis season.
“This year, Simon and I got to know each other better, we got to know each other well. Now we will try to do a thorough pre-season preparation together and see what comes of it,” Medvedev told .
“I won’t go into details, but I have an idea on how to improve my game with the balls I’m using now. It’s not a fact that it will work.”
While the former world No. 1 isn’t sure how things will go, he knows there’s one man he needs to learn to conquer again. He stated: “I need to try to find a way to beat again, to whom I’ve lost so many times in recent months.”
Medvedev will not be in action again until the Australian Open, which kicks off on January 12. The 28-year-old typically does not play warm-up tournaments for the first Grand Slam event of the year and that won’t change in 2025.
He’s finished as the runner-up at two of the last three Australian Opens. At the start of this year, Medvedev led Sinner by two sets in the championship match before the Italian stormed back to lift his first Major trophy.
If Medvedev’s off-season training plan goes well, he could avoid those tough losses to the current world No. 1 next year.