Daniil Medvedev admits he has ‘higher expectations for clay every year’
Daniil Medvedev has revealed that he is ‘really looking forward to Roland Garros’ this year, despite admitting that he is still not the biggest fan of clay courts.
Medvedev has only surpassed the first round of the Paris major twice, with a best result of reaching the quarter-finals back in 2021.
The former No.1 has previously admitted to hating clay, but made a breakthrough on the surface last year after winning his first title on the dirt at the Masters 1000 event in Rome.
No words! pic.twitter.com/HKH4lo503A
— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) May 21, 2023
Ahead of his first tournament on the clay this year in Monte Carlo, Medvedev explained how he was feeling when speaking to Eurosport, “I’m either way getting there step by step. I made quarters three years ago [at Roland Garros] playing actually some really good tennis, in my opinion. I won Rome last year.”
Medvedev continued, “I still don’t like clay too much, just because my game doesn’t suit it perfectly. It’s much tougher for me to adapt to different circumstances, either bad bounces or a guy that has a good kick-serve and stuff like this. So a lot of small details I have to take care of, which I managed to do last year and some years before in Roland-Garros.”
Although the 28-year-old won his first title on clay last year, Medvedev still lost in the first round of Roland Garros to qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild.
However, Medvedev appears to be looking forward to the second major of 2024, “So I actually have in a way higher and higher expectations for clay every year than before, which can sometimes be tricky but at the same time I like high expectations because when you have high expectations, it means you have the confidence.
“Sometimes you can lose and lose this confidence, but sometimes it can actually bring you higher. So I’m really looking forward to Roland-Garros. I feel like lately I managed to find a small edge at Grand Slams and play well starting from Wimbledon in 2023. So I’m going to try to use it and try to have a good French Open this year.”
Medvedev will begin his singles clay court season at the Monte Carlo Masters this week, where he reached the semi-finals back in 2019, and awaits the winner of Gael Monfils and Jordan Thompson in the second round.
Daniil Medvedev: *double faults*
Also Daniil Medvedev: *let's out a little scream*
???? @DaniilMedwed #RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/T20QtCPGcP
— Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (@ROLEXMCMASTERS) April 7, 2024
Inside the baseline…
Daniil Medvedev and clay have had a tumultuous relationship over the years, but the former No.1 appears to be getting more used to the surface after winning the Italian Open last year. Despite this, it seems unlikely that every tournament in the coming season is going to be plain-sailing, but it will be interesting to see if Medvedev can save his best tennis for Roland Garros, as that is where he has a lot of points to gain.
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