Australian Open 'underdog' Medvedev says he will be hard to beatBRISBANE, Australia, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Three-time Australian Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev will be an underdog at the opening Grand Slam of the year, but the Russian warned he will be hard to beat in his current form. "So I'm happy with the way I'm playing, and I know that when I'm playing good, there are not that many players that can beat me easily or at all." Medvedev, who reached the final of the Australian Open in 2021, 2022 and 2024, will be an underdog in Melbourne with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz overwhelming favourites. Last year Medvedev lost in the Australian Open second round to 19-year-old Learner Tien over five gruelling sets, before going out in the first round at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows. He has since split with long-time coach Gilles Cervara and started working with a former Australian Open champion, Thomas Johansson, and Rohan Goetzke.
