Is Medvedev Back?

Well, his performance in Brisbane has us excited...

We could sense it already a bit at the end of last year in the Asian hardcourt and European indoor hardcourt swing... Daniil was starting to build some form. A perfect way to start it off with complete dominance through the entire Brisbane tournament. However, let's keep in mind that it was a run through good, but not elite players. Still, it's nice to see Medvedev dominate these kinds of opponents again. Let's hope he can have more success in Grand Slams than last year, it would be impossible not to ;) Losing in the first round against Bonzi twice and also to Norrie... being pushed to five sets by Samrej (yeah...) in the Australian Open. Actually, what a great opportunity for him to pick up a lot of points!

De Jong had somewhat of a "breakthrough" on the main tour last year. He is not spectacular in any fashion; he is simply well-rounded and consistent. Also, he has an underrated first serve and net game, especially compared to many other regular baseliners like him. However, he hasn't really been able to get going so far in 2026. A straight-set loss to Diallo in Hong Kong and then a loss in three sets to Tirante in Adelaide. It's hard to imagine De Jong posing a lot of problems to Medvedev in this match, especially considering the contrast in form for each player. Also, what weapons does he really have to bother him? We saw what happened to other "well-rounded" players in Brisbane against Medvedev...