Daniil Medvedev: “People don’t see the toll” tennis puts on top athletes

Daniil Medvedev joked at the Australian Open that he wasn’t ready to launch into podcasting just yet, leaving the former world No. 1 to make the most of the press conference format to achieve the same effect.

His latest turn behind the mic at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships saw him monologue about the state of the game and the ever-increasing challenges top athletes face to achieve elite levels of consistency.

“Of course, what people first see is we're playing in front of thousands of people, we're getting good money, especially those of course in the Top 50 and Top 100. And the first thought is like, ‘Okay, why are they complaining at all? Like, they should not,’” Medvedev said after a straight-sets victory over Shang Juncheng.

“Then, of course, what people don't see…if we speak about tennis, it's the toll the travel plus competition brings on you,” he continued, noting the pressure players face is clear for all who watch matches.

“Even meaning, coming from Doha to Dubai, it's very short. The balls are different, the courts are different. Let's say stupid things. The hotel is different, the bed is different, the pillow is different. That all is a little bit tough for your body. You don't feel it, like, constantly. But imagine doing this 40 times a year, and we do.

“The time change and of course the food change. The food in every country's different, in every site. All of this would be easy to handle if you wouldn't have a match to play the next day against an opponent that wants to win as much as you. And if you don't win, you lose and you feel I am bad.”

Last year I played in seven tournaments in a row. Did I have to? No. I played bad in the beginning of the year, maybe I can get 100 points here, 200 points here, be higher seeded next year, et cetera, et cetera. If there would be no points there, at least it is an easier decision. But it's not going to happen. Daniil Medvedev

At 30 years old, Medvedev has experienced a full range of emotions on the ATP Tour, from the highs of winning the 2021 US Open to the lows of injury struggles and inconsistencies. Medvedev dealt extensively with the latter throughout the 2025 season before enjoying a late surge that carried into the new year. Ranked just outside the Top 10, he kicked off 2026 with a title run at the Brisbane International but hasn’t won back-to-back matches since reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and implied some defeats are harder to explain than others.

“I think that's what people don't exactly understand about tennis, and that is why sometimes upset happen,” he said. “Like you can come somewhere, you never going to tell it to someone, but you got food poisoning, which is not that big to retire, but big enough to make you in a bad shape. You're going to lose a match. Everyone is going to be like, What the hell? You are just food poisoning.

“I think that's what tough in tennis, the travel, plus willingness to win and stuff like this.”

Medvedev will next face Stan Wawrinka in the midst of the former No. 3’s farewell tour. A champion in Dubai back in 2023, a second win would mark the first time he has won a title twice in the same place.