Hamad Medjedovic’s breakthrough season all started on the ATP Challenger Tour.
After entering 2023 as World No. 255 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the Serbian was the youngest player this year to win three ATP Challenger Tour titles and capped the season in the best way possible: winning the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM. Medjedovic, now ranked No. 113, is the sixth champion in the tournament’s history, a list that includes Top 10 stars Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“It means a lot. To know that all the great champions [won here], it gives you a lot of confidence and a boost for next season,” Medjedovic said. “I will be coming into next year with a lot of confidence.”
#TheNextGenATP star boasted a 23-12 record on the ATP Challenger Tour this season, with titles in Szekesfehervar, Mauthausen and Mallorca. In May, the-then 19-year-old Medjedovic joined elite company, becoming the third Serbian teenager to win a trio of Challenger titles, alongside Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic.
“The Challenger Tour is a high level, many great players, you need to be really consistent. You need to play good tennis every week,” Medjedovic told ATPTour.com in May. “There are a lot of tournaments and a lot of great matches. Consistency, hard work, discipline, and a good mentality are the keys.
A confidence-boosting victory for Medjedovic came at the Mauthausen Challenger, where he downed former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals, which marked the Serb’s first Top 100 win of the year.
“I can't even describe the feeling, it's just incredible,” Medjedovic said after winning the Challenger 100 event in Austria. “The win against Dominic was a big highlight, [and the title] means everything to me.”
Hamad Medjedovic wins the Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar. Credit: Alvaro Diaz
Medjedovic then found quick success on the ATP Tour, reaching the the last four in Gstaad and Astana. He also advanced through qualifying at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The Jeddah champion credits the ATP Challenger Tour as a springboard on his journey.
“In the beginning when I started winning some matches, I started thinking, ‘I definitely have the level, I can beat these guys, I can play with them,'" Medjedovic said. "As time went on, I was winning more and more matches, then won my first tournament which gave me a lot of confidence. It’s for sure a great feeling when you know you can play with these guys and when you beat them.”
A four-time ATP Challenger Tour champion, Medjedovic will look to build upon his momentum in 2024.