Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev reaches impressive career milestone after win over Halys in Halle

After a string of disappointing performances — including early exits at Roland Garros and the Libema Open — Daniil Medvedev bounced back on Wednesday with a win over Quentin Halys to move into the quarterfinals of the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle. Beyond the result itself, though, this victory had special significance, marking a major career achievement for the former World No. 1.

Medvedev earned his 400th ATP Tour win, becoming just the third player born in 1990 or later to reach that number of victories as a professional. Only Alexander Zverev (496 wins) and Grigor Dimitrov (473) sit ahead of him on that list.

After reaching this impressive milestone, Daniil was asked which of those 400 wins stands out the most. He didn’t hesitate. “Honestly, if I had to choose one, I would say beating Novak (Djokovic) to win the US Open, because it’s my only Grand Slam,” he said, according to the official ATP Tour website.

“I could easily name like 20 really big ones in different aspects,” the Russian star later added. “There are many wins which by themselves don’t really represent anything. But if you didn’t have them, maybe you would not have your first title, and you wouldn’t have the career you have.”

Medvedev chose a win over Djokovic in the 2021 US Open final as the most important of his career.

Medvedev highlights key moments in his career

While he pointed to the 2021 US Open as the most important title of his career, Medvedev also reflected on the win that helped him reach that point. “I remember a win against Hubi (Hurkacz) in Toronto in 2021. First set, I didn’t know what to do. He was absolutely all over the place and didn’t give me any chance,” he began.

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“I saved a break point early in the second set and I was saying to myself, ‘I’m not playing good, he’s playing amazing, there is no way I will win this match’,” Daniil continued. “Then I managed to serve better, I won the tie-break somehow 7-5, finishing with an ace, and then I won Toronto, which gave me a confidence boost. I won the US Open two weeks later.”

Medvedev’s first ATP win

The journey to 400 wins began back in 2016, when he faced Argentine player Horacio Zeballos in Hertogenbosch. “I actually remember Zeballos talking about it to me,” Medvedev said. “He said that he just came after Roland Garros, so the transition (from clay to grass) was not easy. He was like, ‘OK, I’m playing some guy who is ranked like 250’, so he was kind of happy about it.”

But Medvedev pulled off the upset. “Then I beat him good, so that was a fun moment and it was of course a great feeling. I was very young, so it made a lot of adrenalin and emotion come out, and I was very happy about it,” he recalled.

What’s next for Medvedev?

Despite the significance of this latest milestone, Daniil Medvedev will have to stay focused on the challenges ahead. In the Halle quarterfinals, he’ll face Alex Michelsen on Friday. If he advances, he could meet Alexander Zverev — the World No. 3 and second seed in the tournament — in the semifinals.