Revitalized Medvedev Secures First Title in Nearly 30 Months
19 of Medvedev's twenty-one championships have been earned on hard courts
A revitalized Daniil Medvedev secured his maiden title for 882 days with victory over opponent Moutet in the Almaty Open title decider.
The Russian, a former top-ranked player, has endured a challenging season, achieving just one win at the big events and undergoing a difficult moment at the American major.
Medvedev's inconsistency on the ATP Tour - and difficulties with his service game in particular - caused him dropping out of the elite rankings and ultimately separating with former trainer Cervara.
Now collaborating with Thomas Johansson and Goetzke, the tennis star has gradually advanced in the recent weeks - culminating in a closely contested competitive win over opponent Moutet.
It is Medvedev's maiden title following the Rome competition and maiden on a hard surface after March of the previous year.
The win also signifies he has achieved twenty-one titles at twenty-one distinct tournaments.
"It's the first time I have attended a tournament with my two daughters simultaneously, so to win a trophy is really nice," commented world number 14 the champion.
"This title is in honour of my second daughter Victoria, because the initial championship I achieved when my older daughter her name was born was for her."
Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, had lost his previous six title deciders, featuring in that event in the past months.
Medvedev's defensive approach and regular outbursts on the playing surface had led observers to question if his ability to play at the highest level was finished.
However the athlete has altered his approach in the past month, striving to advance forward and play positively, backed up by an improved serve.
The champion recovered from a break down in the opening set against the challenging opponent, taking four of the final five points to go ahead.
Both players traded break points in the following set before the Frenchman, striving for his maiden tour title, took control to create a final set.
He defended four early chances in a close deciding set before the champion secured a break to that score to secure the win.
Suitably, Medvedev earned the win with a rally at the net area, with his opponent incapable to handle a return after over two and a half hours.
