Daniil Medvedev has 'finally been figured out,' claims ex-ATP pro after Russian's shock Rotterdam 2R loss

Daniil Medvedev's humbling second-round loss to 23-year-old Italian Mattia Bellucci at the 2025 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam prompted American former ATP pro Jimmy Arias to make a concerning claim about the Russian. According to Arias, players on the ATP Tour now know all about Medvedev's weaknesses and are doing everything possible to exploit them.

The 2025 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam marked the second event of the season for Daniil Medvedev. Previously, the former World No. 1 was stunned by American teenager Learner Tien in the second round of the Australian Open. In Rotterdam, Mattia Bellucci's devastating variety of shots left the Russian chasing shadows for the most part of the contest, ultimately resulting in a 3-6, 7-6(6), 3-6 defeat for the 2021 US Open champion.

In the aftermath of the shock result, former ATP No. 5 Jimmy Arias told Tennis Channel that players have realized Daniil Medvedev's core strength lies in a defensive play style.

"He doesn't like playing lefties. I'm not sure if that's what it is. I think players have finally figured out that you can't hit through him. If you try to overpower him when he's way back and defending, you're not going to get it done," Arias said. (at 0:14)

The 60-year-old went on to highlight how the Russian's opponents are nowadays forcing him to play a more attacking style of tennis by bringing him forward, and according to Arias, this is leading to more errors from Medvedev.

"You have to open the court, you got to bring him forward, you got to serve and volley, and players have finally started doing that," Arias added.

Meanwhile, after the match, Bellucci spoke up about how his attempt to play a particular style helped him come out on top against Medvedev.

"Not something I’m used to doing but it worked pretty good today" - Mattia Bellucci after stunning Daniil Medvedev in Rotterdam

Mattia Bellucci at the 2025 ABN AMRO Open (Source: Getty)

During his post-match interview, Mattia Bellucci revealed that he went out of his way to play the 'serve-and-volley' style against Daniil Medvedev, which typically involves the server moving forward to the net immediately after a serve to try and finish off points early.

"It was a three-hour match and I really enjoyed every moment of it. I really tried to do the best I could. I’m pretty tired but I’m happy. I was going for the serve and volley which is not something I’m used to doing but it worked pretty good today," Bellucci said.

Medvedev, during his own post-match interview, dismissed speculation surrounding his potential retirement amid a wretched run of form that stretches back to last year. The Russian hasn't won an ATP Tour-level title since his Italian Open triumph in 2023.