Daniil Medvedev continued his fine season by securing his place in the Almaty Open after defeating Terence Atmane in straight sets.

Medvedev began the tournament as the world No 5 and he is looking to defend the title at the ATP 250 event, after lifting the title for the first time in 2025.

The Russian star has won three ATP titles already this year and he is very close to confirming his place in the ATP Finals for the first time since the 2024 season.

Medvedev might have confirmed his place back in the ATP Tour elite with his fine performances across the 2026 season, but is he ready to now challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?

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According to the man himself, no.

“Probably not, they’re much stronger than the rest of the field for the whole season if they’re not injured of course, which is part of the game,” said Medvedev during his Almaty Open press conference.

“But I always said, you know probably you play a lot of matches against Alcaraz and Sinner, and you’re going to lose more than you win. And that’s normal, because they’re like in a good way, freaks.

“They know how to do stuff that other people don’t, but if you can win two out of 10, three out of 10, and then maybe four out of 10 or maybe five out of 10, you try. Every time you go out there, you try.

“But again, when they’re healthy, they have proven it throughout the whole year that they are number one and number two in the world, in whichever order. It’s part of the game also to be healthy and this year that was not the case.”

Medvedev actually has an impressive record against both Alcaraz and Sinner, even if he is trailing in his head-to-head record against both men.

He has beaten Sinner seven times in their 17 matches in the sport, although he has lost his last five matches against the world No 1.

The last time Medvedev was able to defeat Sinner was at Wimbledon in 2024, when he knocked the Italian out in an epic five-set battle.

As for his record against Alcaraz, Medvedev currently trails 6-3 to the talented Spaniard.

Medvedev has tasted victories against Alcaraz at Wimbledon, the US Open, and most recently Indian Wells, when he knocked him out of the semifinals of the American Masters event.

Despite trailing both men in recent years, Medvedev is one of the few players in the ATP Tour top 10 currently who has beaten both men multiple times.

The likes of Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton have struggled against both men far more than Medvedev has over the years.