Nineteen of Daniil Medvedev's twenty-one championships have been earned on hard surfaces
A resurgent Medvedev won his maiden championship for 882 days with success over Corentin Moutet in the Almaty Open championship match.
The Russian, a ex- world number one, has had a challenging period, achieving just one win at the big events and experiencing a meltdown at the American major.
The player's varied form on the professional circuit - and difficulties with his serve in specific - led to him dropping out of the elite rankings and finally parting ways with former mentor Gilles Cervara.
Presently training with Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, he has gradually improved in the past month - climaxing in a hard-fought 7-5 4-6 6-3 victory over challenger Moutet.
This marks Medvedev's first title since the 2023 Rome Masters and maiden on a hard court from that period of that year.
Victory also indicates Medvedev has secured 21 championships at 21 distinct tournaments.
"It's the first time I have attended a tournament with my two daughters simultaneously, so to secure a trophy is really nice," stated ranked player Daniil Medvedev.
"This championship is in honour of my younger daughter Victoria, because the first title I won when my first daughter my daughter was born was for her."
The tennis star, the former major winner, had failed in his past six championship matches, featuring in Halle earlier this year.
The player's defensive play style and frequent emotional displays on the playing surface had led observers to question if his ability to perform at the top level was finished.
Yet the player has made changes in the last few weeks, attempting to advance forward and perform assertively, backed up by an improved serve.
The champion recovered from a disadvantage in the opening set against the difficult opponent, winning four of the last five games to go ahead.
The competitors swapped breaks in the following set before the challenger, bidding for his initial tour championship, took control to force a decider.
Moutet rescued 4 early opportunities in a tight final set before Medvedev secured a break to that score to serve for the match.
Fittingly, he earned the win with a rally at the net, with the Frenchman failing to manage a return after two hours and 38 minutes.
