Daniil Medvedev is heading back to the site of his first ATP Tour title, and in doing so, he has quietly taken himself out of this year’s US Open mixed doubles event. The former world No. 1 has been given a wild card into the ATP 250 event at Winston-Salem for his first tournament appearance since he won the title back in 2018. 

“We’re thrilled to welcome former champion Daniil Medvedev back to Winston-Salem,” said Tournament director Jeff Ryan via TennisNow. “He has gone on to accomplish so much since winning here in 2018, and having a former World No. 1 and Grand Slam champion joining our already strong player field is incredibly exciting for our fans.” 

Medvedev won the 2018 title without dropping a set, beating Steve Johnson in the final for the second ATP crown of his career. After that, he went on to win the 2021 US Open, denying Novak Djokovic a calendar Slam, and has reached six major finals. He last reached a Grand Slam final at the 2024 Australian Open. However, the Russian has failed to even reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam this season, but will try to change that at the last slam of the year.

The world No.7 had originally been slated to play US Open mixed doubles alongside compatriot Diana Shnaider. The obvious overlap of scheduling makes that effectively impossible, and the pair has been removed from the mixed doubles board entirely. 

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The Russian has endured a rocky North American hard-court swing, exiting in the second round in Montreal before falling in the third round in Cincinnati to Brandon Nakashima, a match in which he let slip three match points along the way. Rather than participating in a star-studded two-day mixed doubles format, the 30-year-old has opted to prioritize singles, therefore competing at Winston-Salem to sharpen his edge before the US Open singles draw starting on August 30. 

Notably, when Medvedev lifted his second ATP Tour title at the Winston-Salem Open back in 2018, the Russian wasn’t exactly convinced he would make it that far when the week began.

“In my first match I was up 6-4, 5-0 and the guy came back to 5-4. I was thinking, ‘How am I going to play six matches to win this tournament?'” Medvedev told reporters after the victory. “I thought, ‘This tournament is not for me. It is too hot. I am only here one hour I’m already almost cramping.'”

He further added, “In the beginning of the week, I didn’t think it was going to be possible. I was playing quite good, but I didn’t feel I was at the right form to win a title. I started quite slow in the tournament, I would say. I could have even lost my first match, and finally I won the tournament without dropping a set, which is quite an amazing achievement. I’m really happy about it.”

As it turned out, the tournament he initially thought wasn’t for him ended with Medvedev lifting the trophy without dropping a single set. And now, seven years later, the Russian is heading back to Winston-Salem, hoping the hard-court stop can once again serve as the perfect tune-up before he makes his way to Flushing Meadows.

Moreover, Medvedev brings some genuine depth to a field that’s shaping up to be an unusually strong ATP 250 right on the heels of a major. He joins fellow wild cards Stefanos Tsitsipas and rising Australian teenager Cruz Hewitt, alongside a player list headlined by Luciano Darderi at No. 22 in the entries, followed by Alejandro Tabilo, Ignacio Buse and Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery.

Reshuffled mixed doubles draw

Daniil Medvedev and Diana Shnaider are not alone in stepping back from the event over scheduling concerns either, with Naomi Osaka recently pulling out of her own planned pairing with Kei Nishikori for similar reasons.

The equation of mixed doubles has got interesting on the same day singles defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, confirmed that he will return to competition at the US Open after being out for four months due to a wrist injury. That announcement has reignited speculation over a pairing with Serena Williams in the mixed event, after Williams reacted to Alcaraz’s comeback post with “Ohhhh ok, I like seeing this,” to which Alcaraz replied with a wide-eyed, hourglass emoji.

The US Open is understood to have already reserved a wild card for Alcaraz in the mixed draw. There were reports that he could even take a wildcard at Winston-Salem to get some singles match practice before his title defense, but the signs are hinting towards a mixed doubles return more than the ATP 250 event. 

There are 9 confirmed pairs so far, which include Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, last year’s runners-up Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, and Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien. The wild cards have been given to Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, the couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, two-time defending champion Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe, and Alexander Zverev and Taylor Townsend. 

With the withdrawals of two teams, a total of seven spots are remaining in the draw. Replacements are yet to be announced, and three wild-card spots are still to be finalized, and two more places are up for grabs through an eight-team qualifying event.