A barren two years led to the three-time Australian Open finalist beginning his season outside the top 10 for the first time since 2018.
But the Russian's fine form at the Brisbane International means his cover is already blown.
Currently world No.13 and turning 30 next month, Medvedev estimates he's already playing at a "top-five" level again and has his new coaching duo to thank.
Australian-born Rohan Goetzke began his coaching career in Europe, guiding an unseeded Richard Krajicek to the 1996 Wimbledon title.
He then coached Mario Ancic but since 2006 has worked for the Netherlands' men's and women's squads and held private roles in America.
He's now back in the hot seat, in partnership with Sweden's 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson, responsible for taking Medvedev back to the top.
The 2021 US Open champion said it took just one phone call to allay fears the Australian was a spent force.
"I was kind of sceptical in the beginning ... he hadn't been on tour for a long time, and usually that's not a good thing," Medvedev said.
"But when I talked to him for the first time on the phone, he kind of surprised me ... analysed my game and said exactly what I felt was not working anymore and what was working before and where I would love to go."
Medvedev described Goetzke as the "technical" component of an overhaul prompted by two lean years that's netted just one title since he clinched five in 2023.
"The volley, on the serve, forehand, backhand, (he's) maybe a tiny bit like, 'If the ball is high you should do this, on the volley you should do this'," Medvedev, chasing a 22nd career title in Brisbane, said of his input.
"Some (other potential coaches) gave me their vision, and I maybe didn't like it or it didn't work out. With Thomas and Rohan, straightaway I liked what they told me."
Medvedev's high-quality victory over in-form Pole Kamil Majchrzak on Friday took his record to 46-11 in the country.
He made the final in his only other visit to Brisbane in 2019, won his maiden ATP Tour title in Sydney in 2018 and was beaten in the Adelaide International semi-finals by Novak Djokovic in his only visit to South Australia in 2023.
He's lost two of his three Australian Open finals after winning the first two sets at Melbourne Park, where he is 28-9.
Again he looks destined for a deep run and says his off-season, now more than ever after missing the year-ending finals and changing his coaching structure, has super-charged him.
"You haven't played for like one month and a half, you're probably trying few new things and there's a tiny bit stress," he said.
"You wonder, 'Is it going to work? Maybe I'm going to miss, maybe I'm going be scared or something?'
"But I love this."
Dominant top-two Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, a combined 12-1 in their past 13 meetings with the Russian, will again be the men to beat in Melbourne.
But Medvedev paid the price for focusing too much on them last year.
"When I was top three, four, for sure thinking a lot about what to do with Carlos and Jannik, where I can improve and this and that," he said.
"Because I played horrible, I never got to the rounds to play them.
"So this pre-season, I didn't think at all about them.
"I was, like, 'Okay, how do I get back to the level I can play to, first of all, beating the other guys?'
"And then maybe if I get to play them, I will talk to my new team and we see what we can do."
