Back to Brisbane: Medvedev announces start to 2026 campaign as he trains with 17-year-old Indian talent

Daniil Medvedev has his eyes on a much-improved 2026. After falling down the order, he finished 2025 much stronger and will be hoping to keep up this positive momentum into the next campaign. This means stepping back onto the court, and he has done that with a rising star on the ATP Circuit.

The 29-year-old had a steep decline down the rankings due to some abysmal form on the court. This could be said in his usually strong Grand Slam displays, with him managing just one win in a major event all year. This was a five-set win against wildcard Kasidit Samrej, which was also the last Grand Slam match he succeeded in.

A semi-final at the Indian Wells Open and quarter-final in Madrid Open seemed to be outliers compared to his usually lofty standards. His first final appearance came in the Halle Open, but he was defeated by a rampant Alexander Bublik. A dreadful North American hardcourt swing left numerous question marks around the form and discipline of the Russian.

He was in dire need of a positive Asian swing, and that is what he got. A semi-final in the China Open was swiftly followed by a golden opportunity spurned in the Shanghai Masters semi-final after he was defeated by Arthur Rinderknech. It would be another match against a Frenchman where he would make the headlines, but this time for all the right ones. He defeated Corentin Moutet to triumph in the Almaty Open, his first title since the Italian Open back in 2023. It also ended a run of six final defeats. A quarter-final appearance culminated his ATP season. He finished in a lonely 13th compared to the 5th in the world he was at 365 days ago.

Manas Dhamne has emerged as a gleaming light of hope for Indian tennis. The 17-year-old made his debut in the top 600 recently, with him currently sitting world number 616 after mostly playing on the ITF Tour this year.

He was lucky enough to have a session with the former world number one in India. Medvedev is in the Asian country as he is set to compete in the World Tennis League. The exhibition will take place from 17th December and feature a number of stars ranging from Elena Rybakina, Nick Kyrgios, Gael Monfils and Paula Badosa.

The 2026 season is slowly creeping up on us. While there is limited tennis for a period of time, players have the chance to plan out what events they are going to compete at. The first big event the players will be looking at is the Australian Open. A huge opportunity for the stars to write their name into history and ascend up the rankings. Medvedev probably should have a title in Melbourne after leading Rafael Nadal and Jannik Sinner 2-0 in 2022 and 2024 respectively, on top of the final defeat in 2021 to Novak Djokovic.

Interestingly, the Australian Open has been the first event Medvedev has played at in the last two campaigns. The last time this was not the case was back in 2023 when he featured in the Adelaide International. However, this year is different. Medvedev has announced his participation in the Brisbane International, as he bids for the title.

He last competed in the event back in 2019, where he made an impressive run to the final as the number four seed. He defeated Andy Murray, Milos Raonic and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga before being bettered in three-sets by Kei Nishikori. The target is one step further, as Medvedev targets a return to the world's best. The event will last from 4 - 11 January 2026.