Daniil Medvedev has been ever-present on the ATP Tour this year as the star has joined the top five of the rankings for the first time in a long while.
Medvedev has played 67 matches across the 2026 season so far, which is the second most in men’s tennis, behind only Alexander Zverev’s 73 matches.
That has helped him win four ATP Tour titles this year and reach a further final in what has been one of his more successful seasons in tennis.
Medvedev will continue his gruelling season at the Vienna Open as he looks for a fifth title, and he will play Daniel Merida in his first round match.
Speaking about the intense ATP Tour schedule, Medvedev said players are absolutely expected to play too many tournament across the calendar.
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“I’m in favour of giving a lot of importance to the most important tournaments. I don’t think tennis is well organized because we’re obligated to play too many events throughout the year. “The norm these days is to be competing for more than 35 weeks a year,” said Medvedev.
Medvedev also believes players do not have as much power and control as they should, and they are largely at the mercy of the ATP Tour’s decision makers.
“The biggest problem in tennis is that we players have very little power. While it’s true there’s a Players’ Council and we have the right to vote, the influence we actually wield when decisions are made is very limited, and ultimately, we’re the ones who make it happen.
“We need to have a bigger voice when issues like the calendar are debated, and I’ll support any players who want to fight for that.”
Medvedev’s slog of a season is far from over yet, either, as he has three more tournaments left before he can take a well-earned break.
He is expected to play the Vienna Open and the Paris Masters, and he is an overwhelming favourite to qualify for the ATP Finals at the end of the year.
That will take Medvedev’s 2026 season up to a whopping 25 tournaments played in 11 months, which is a sensational amount of tennis to be expected to play.
However, that does include five ATP 250 tournaments, which Medvedev is not expected to play by the ATP Tour.
The current ATP Tour guidelines require players to play all nine Masters 1000 events, which Medvedev has done, as well as a minimum of three ATP 500 tournaments.
The Vienna Open is Medvedev’s sixth ATP 500 event this year, so he could split that in half without receiving any sanctions by the tennis authorities.
