Daniil Medvedev has set up a blockbuster semifinal clash with Jannik Sinner at the Italian Open.
Medvedev beat lucky loser Martin Landaluce 1-6, 6-4, 7-5 to reach the Italian Open semifinals for just the second time, and the first since he won the title in 2023.
The former world number one will now face a huge test against Sinner, who is on a 32-match winning streak at Masters 1000 level.
Medvedev and Sinner have played 16 times before, but this is the first time in their rivalry that they will meet on clay.
Daniil Medvedev says he needs to be aggressive against Jannik Sinner
Sinner is dominating men’s tennis at the moment, and has not lost a match since he was beaten by Jakub Mensik at the Qatar Open in February.
Medvedev has spoken about the challenge lying ahead of him with his upcoming match against Sinner, revealing that he will need to be aggressive.
“Especially on clay, I feel like you cannot be aggressive all the time unless it’s your game style, and it’s not mine,” Medvedev said in his post-match press conference.
“A couple of match points, I was, He could miss in important moments before. It was a tough choice to go for the winner. I can miss or do I let him go for the winner? He made some great shots in this moment.
“Tomorrow I know that defensively, not easy to stay defensively. Going to try to be kind of aggressive. But it’s clay court tennis.”
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Medvedev continued to be asked about Sinner, to which he highlighted how much he pushed the world number one at Indian Wells.
The Russian also admitted the questions he had about Sinner’s game on clay, with it being the first time Medvedev will play the Italian on the surface.
“I need to think a lot about my tennis,” said Medvedev. “I played Jannik in Indian Wells, of course it’s not a clay court, but I put up a good fight. Close in one set. Let’s put it this way. That’s what I’m going to try to do. Jannik is a great player, best in the world. It’s a great test to try to do my best.”
Medvedev added, “It’s going to be interesting. First match on clay. I wonder how his game is on clay. Of course, I know it’s good, but does he put maybe more topspin than hard courts, does he play exactly the same. It’s going to be interesting.
“Of course, same for me. I do play a bit differently on clay than on hard courts. It’s going to be a great test for me because I feel like on clay maybe I didn’t face as many top clay court players as maybe on other surfaces because sometimes I lose earlier. So it’s going to be interesting for me.”
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Medvedev was then asked what his strategy for playing Sinner was going to be, to which he joked that he would have to play as well as Landaluce did against him in the first set.
“Very easy: to play like Martin played the first set, go full power and every ball on the line,” answered Medvedev.
“It’s a small joke, but in a way to beat Jannik you need to play your best tennis, which we’re not crazy, I’m not going to touch the line on every shot. You need to have a good day so that your shots are working, your serve is working, you put him under pressure. It’s not easy to do this kind of stuff.
“Again, it’s tennis, it’s sports, everything is possible. He’s losing much less than he’s winning. As my friend Andrey [Rublev] said, he’s going to lose at one moment. When I step on the court, I will try to make him lose the next match.”
Daniil Medvedev vs Jannik Sinner Head-to-Head
As previously mentioned, Medvedev and Sinner have played 16 times before, but this will be the first time they have played on clay.
Only one of their 16 previous matches have been on grass, while the other 15 have taken place on hard courts.
Their rivalry has seen many changes in momentum, with Medvedev winning his first six matches against Sinner.
However, Sinner has since taken a stranglehold of their rivalry, winning 9 of the last 10 matches against Medvedev to lead their head-to-head 9-7.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2020 | Open 13 – Marseille (R16) | Medvedev beat Sinner, 1-6 6-1 6-2 |
| 2021 | Open 13 – Marseille (QF) | Medvedev beat Sinner, 6-2 6-4 |
| 2021 | ATP Finals (RR) | Medvedev beat Sinner, 6-0 6(5)-7 7-6(8) |
| 2022 | Vienna Open (QF) | Medvedev beat Sinner, 6-4 6-2 |
| 2023 | Rotterdam Open (F) | Medvedev beat Sinner, 5-7 6-2 6-2 |
| 2023 | Miami Open (F) | Medvedev beat Sinner, 7-5 6-3 |
| 2023 | China Open (F) | Sinner beat Medvedev, 7-6(2) 7-6(2) |
| 2023 | Vienna Open (F) | Sinner beat Medvedev, 7-6(7) 4-6 6-3 |
| 2023 | ATP Finals (SF) | Sinner beat Medvedev, 6-3 6(4)-7 6-1 |
| 2024 | Australian Open (F) | Sinner beat Medvedev, 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3 |
| 2024 | Miami Open (SF) | Sinner beat Medvedev, 6-1 6-2 |
| 2024 | Wimbledon (QF) | Medvedev beat Sinner, 6(7)-7 6-4 7-6(4) 2-6 6-3 |
| 2024 | US Open (QF) | Sinner beat Medvedev, 6-2 1-6 6-1 6-4 |
| 2024 | Shanghai Masters (QF) | Sinner beat Medvedev, 6-1 6-4 |
| 2024 | ATP Finals (RR) | Sinner beat Medvedev, 6-3 6-4 |
| 2026 | Indian Wells (F) | Sinner beat Medvedev, 7-6(6) 7-6(4) |
The most recent of those took place in the Indian Wells final, where Sinner beat Medvedev en route to completing the Sunshine Double.
That was the first Masters title Sinner won this year, and he is now just two wins away from becoming the youngest man to win every ATP 1000 title.
Sinner will play Medvedev on clay for the first time when they compete in the Italian Open semifinals on Friday, May 15.
