Comeback Medvedev Secures Maiden Championship in 882 Days
19 of the Russian's 21 titles have been achieved on hardcourt
A revitalized Daniil Medvedev secured his maiden trophy for 882 days with victory over Frenchman Moutet in the Almaty Open title decider.
The Russian, a former top-ranked player, has experienced a challenging year, managing just one match at the major tournaments and suffering a setback at the American major.
Medvedev's unpredictability on the professional circuit - and struggles with his serving in particular - caused him dropping out of the world's top 10 and ultimately parting ways with former coach his previous coach.
Currently collaborating with Johansson and Goetzke, he has gradually advanced in the last few weeks - culminating in a closely contested competitive triumph over opponent Corentin Moutet.
This marks the player's first title after the Rome competition and first on a hardcourt from that period of 2023.
Success also indicates he has secured 21 victories at twenty-one different tournaments.
"This marks the first occasion I have attended a competition with my both daughters at once, so to get a trophy is really nice," said world number 14 Daniil Medvedev.
"This victory is in tribute of my child Victoria, because the initial championship I won when my older daughter Alisa was delivered was for her."
Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, had lost his last six finals, including in the German tournament earlier this year.
His retrieving play style and recurring reactions on the tennis court had led some to question if his skill to play at the elite level was concluded.
But the athlete has made changes in the past month, attempting to approach the net and perform positively, backed up by an enhanced service.
Medvedev came back from a deficit in the opening set against the challenging Moutet, securing 4 of the final five points to go ahead.
The competitors traded break points in the middle set before the Frenchman, striving for his first ATP Tour victory, gained dominance to create a decider.
He defended four early opportunities in a tight third set before the Russian won the break to fifteen to secure the win.
Fittingly, the winner earned victory with a shot at the net, with Moutet failing to control a shot after two hours and 38 minutes.
