Nineteen of Daniil Medvedev's 21 titles have been earned on hard surfaces
A comeback Daniil Medvedev secured his initial trophy for 882 days with success over Corentin Moutet in the Almaty Open final.
The Russian, a former number one, has had a torrid period, winning just one win at the major tournaments and undergoing a setback at the New York tournament.
The player's varied form on the tennis tour - and difficulties with his serve in specific - led to him exiting of the elite rankings and finally splitting with former trainer his previous coach.
Now training with Johansson and his other coach, he has steadily improved in the last few weeks - culminating in a tightly fought three-set victory over opponent Moutet.
This represents the player's first trophy since the Rome competition and first on a hard court from that period of the previous year.
The win also means the Russian has secured 21 titles at twenty-one various events.
"This marks the first occasion I am participating in a event with my both daughters simultaneously, so to win a championship is really nice," commented tennis professional Medvedev.
"This title is in honour of my second daughter her name, because the initial championship I achieved when my first daughter her name was delivered was for her."
Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, had been defeated in his previous six championship matches, featuring in Halle previously this season.
Medvedev's defensive play style and regular reactions on the tennis court had prompted some to question if his skill to play at the top level was over.
But the athlete has made changes in the past month, attempting to advance forward and perform positively, backed up by an enhanced service.
The champion fought back from a deficit in the first set against the challenging Frenchman, winning 4 of the final five games to go ahead.
The pair traded breaks in the following set before the Frenchman, striving for his first tour title, took control to create a final set.
Moutet saved 4 initial chances in a competitive final set before the Russian broke to fifteen to secure the win.
Appropriately, the winner clinched victory with a shot at the front of the court, with the Frenchman failing to control a return after two hours and 38 minutes.
