19 of Daniil Medvedev's 21 victories have been won on hard courts
A revitalized Daniil Medvedev won his maiden championship for 882 days with success over Corentin Moutet in the Almaty Open final.
The Russian, a former world number one, has endured a challenging season, managing just a single victory at the major tournaments and undergoing a meltdown at the US Open.
His inconsistency on the tennis tour - and difficulties with his serve in particular - led to him exiting of the world's top 10 and ultimately splitting with long-time mentor Gilles Cervara.
Presently working with his coach and Goetzke, Medvedev has steadily improved in the last few weeks - climaxing in a closely contested 7-5 4-6 6-3 triumph over opponent Corentin Moutet.
This marks Medvedev's initial trophy since the 2023 Rome Masters and initial on a hard surface since spring of the previous year.
Victory also signifies Medvedev has won 21 victories at 21 various competitions.
"It's the first time I have attended a tournament with my children simultaneously, so to secure a championship is really nice," stated world number 14 the champion.
"This championship is in tribute of my younger daughter Victoria, because the maiden victory I won when my older daughter my daughter was delivered was for her."
Medvedev, the former major winner, had been defeated in his past six finals, including in Halle previously this season.
His counter-punching play style and frequent emotional displays on the tennis court had caused commentators to doubt if his capacity to compete at the top level was concluded.
But the 29-year-old has altered his approach in recent weeks, striving to come to the net and perform positively, backed up by an better service.
He fought back from a disadvantage in the first set against the tricky Frenchman, winning 4 of the concluding five points to take the lead.
The competitors exchanged service breaks in the middle set before the Frenchman, attempting for his initial professional victory, seized the initiative to force a third set.
Moutet rescued four early opportunities in a tight third set before Medvedev won the break to that score to serve for the match.
Appropriately, the winner clinched victory with a point at the net area, with his opponent failing to control a return after a lengthy match.
