Daniil Medvedev’s relationship with clay has been an unpredictable one, having enjoyed some career-highs and some of his harshest lows.
Most recently, another was added into the latter category, as he suffered arguably the greatest embarrassment on this surface, losing 6-0, 6-0 to Matteo Berrettini.
It was a truly humbling moment for the Russian, who had not played since that fateful result in Monte Carlo.
Fortunately, Daniil Medvedev has not let it affect him here in Madrid, and got back to winning ways yesterday as he seeks to build momentum ahead of Roland Garros.
And, his chances of a deeper run have just been boosted significantly after the news that Carlos Alcaraz would not be playing due to injury.
Daniil Medvedev gives his reaction to Carlos Alcaraz’s injury news
Speaking to Tennis Channel after his win over Fábián Marozsán, Medvedev began by explaining how he reacted in the weeks that followed his mauling at the hands of Berrettini.
“The first few days, maybe a week, maybe sometimes two weeks, tough,” he admitted.
How worried are you about Carlos Alcaraz’s injury?
Carlos Alcaraz will miss Rome and Roland Garros…
“You’re like, okay, what do I do to not get the same result next time? On the next practice, whatever shot you make, you’re not happy. You know what I’m saying, okay, that’s not enough, everyone is gonna beat me and stuff like this.
“But we managed to do some good work, really day by day working to be better, and day by day it was better, and here I played some good tennis in practice.”
Then, turning his attention to the Carlos Alcaraz withdrawal, he was asked how the locker room reacted.
Medvedev revealed: “I didn’t talk to anyone today about it, because yesterday, when I heard I was already in the room, so I didn’t see anyone.
“So I think in general, in the locker room, it doesn’t, because everyone knows it’s crazy that it happened, because nobody expected it. It’s crazy, also because, you know, one of the… like, if you want to win a Grand Slam now, or even the Masters 1000, there is a big chance you’re gonna need to beat Alcaraz and Sinner.
“Well, now you need to beat only Sinner.
“That’s the way it is, a bit more pressure on everyone else. Probably not on me, because I never managed to get far in Roland Garros, so I’m just gonna enjoy it.
“But of course, really sad for Carlos. But again, I think the locker room, nobody’s gonna really talk about it because that’s how Tennis is. We move on, and we will be happy to see him back when he’s back.”
How has Daniil Medvedev performed at Roland Garros in the past?
Medvedev’s upbeat attitude towards his poor record at Roland Garros is typical of the 30-year-old, who is one of the best personalities on the tennis tour.
However, he will want to perform better and will arguably have no better opportunity than this year.
Can anyone now stop Jannik Sinner from winning Roland Garros after Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal?
If yes, who?
The relative strength of the men’s tour at the moment is hardly overwhelming, and with Alcaraz removed, Medvedev could justifiably make a deep run in Paris.
His best-ever performance at Roland Garros was to the quarter-final in 2021, and two fourth-round runs in 2022 and 2024. Alas, last year he suffered a first-round exit.
