Nineteen of Daniil Medvedev's 21 titles have been won on hardcourt
A revitalized Daniil Medvedev won his initial championship for 882 days with a win over Corentin Moutet in the Almaty Open championship match.
The Russian, a former top-ranked player, has endured a torrid season, managing just one win at the big events and suffering a difficult moment at the American major.
His unpredictability on the ATP Tour - and difficulties with his service game in specific - led to him dropping out of the elite rankings and finally separating with long-term trainer his previous coach.
Presently collaborating with Johansson and his other coach, the tennis star has consistently progressed in the last few weeks - climaxing in a hard-fought 7-5 4-6 6-3 win over Frenchman Moutet.
This represents the player's first title following the 2023 Rome Masters and first on a hard court from that period of 2023.
Success also means the Russian has won 21 championships at 21 different competitions.
"For the first time I'm at a event with my children at once, so to secure a title is really nice," said world number 14 Medvedev.
"This title is in dedication of my second daughter my daughter, because the initial championship I won when my first daughter my daughter was born was for her."
The tennis star, the former major winner, had been defeated in his last six championship matches, featuring in Halle previously this season.
The player's retrieving approach and frequent reactions on court had led observers to question if his skill to compete at the top level was concluded.
But the player has implemented adjustments in the past month, attempting to advance forward and play aggressively, reinforced by an improved service.
The champion came back from a disadvantage in the initial set against the challenging Moutet, winning four of the concluding five points to gain the advantage.
Both players swapped breaks in the following set before the challenger, bidding for his first professional championship, gained dominance to create a final set.
He saved four initial break points in a competitive final set before the champion secured a break to that score to secure the win.
Fittingly, he earned victory with a shot at the net, with the Frenchman incapable to control a shot after two hours and 38 minutes.
