Daniil Medvedev Ends His Unique Repeat Title Streak… With a Twist

It’s only fitting that one of tennis’s most peculiar statistics belonged to one of its most distinctive players. Before recent events, Daniil Medvedev had never successfully defended a championship title, nor had he ever claimed the same tournament trophy twice. With 22 titles to his name, this unusual feat was remarkable, even prompting Medvedev to jest about running out of new cities to conquer. However, his 23rd career title, secured at the Dubai Tennis Championships, marked a return to a previously won event, seemingly shattering what felt like a persistent curse.

Yet, there’s a significant caveat: Medvedev didn’t *actually* win the final match on court. His scheduled opponent, Tallon Griekspoor, withdrew from the contest due to injury. Thus, while the title officially went to Medvedev, it was by means of a walkover, not a hard-fought victory in the championship decider.

Has Daniil Medvedev Truly Broken His Curse?

22 Titles, 22 Unique Locations

Medvedev’s often unorthodox style of play has propelled him to victories across the globe and on all three primary court surfaces, yet strangely, never in the same venue. Since 2018 (with the exception of 2024), Medvedev consistently added a new city to his list of championship triumphs each year, but failed to achieve a successful title defense or a repeat victory in any given tournament.

It wasn't for lack of opportunity—Medvedev often made deep runs in tournaments he had previously won. His closest encounter with a repeat title occurred in the 2023 Vienna final (a tournament he had won in 2022). There, he played a tight three-set match against Jannik Sinner, ultimately losing by a narrow margin and allowing the "curse" to persist.

With Medvedev's title-winning frequency showing a slight decrease after 2023, the prospect of him repeating a title seemed even more remote than before. But the tennis fates had a different outcome in store for the Russian star.

An Unexpected Turn in Dubai

After a disappointing, one-sided loss in Doha to his rival Stefanos Tsitsipas, Medvedev was determined to avoid a similar fate in Dubai. On his way to the final, Medvedev didn't drop a single set, and the closest set he won was 6-4 during his routine victory over top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals. Dominating all his matches, Medvedev was the clear favorite against Griekspoor, who was visibly struggling physically by the end of his own semi-final match.

But Medvedev had already won this specific title back in 2023. So, how truly favored was he to break his unique streak in an actual final?

He never got the chance to find out, as Griekspoor was unable to compete due to the injuries he accumulated that week. Medvedev’s streak of never repeating a title is now technically broken, but he didn’t get the opportunity to actively *win* the repeated championship match.

The Dubai title will now appear twice on his career records. However, it remains to be seen whether Medvedev can step onto the court and truly win the final of a tournament he’s already conquered through competition.