Daniil Medvedev lost 6-0, 6-0 to Matteo Berrettini in his opening match at the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters
The Russian never got going in the principality, as Medvedev suffered the worst defeat of his professional career.
Will Daniil Medvedev ever win another title on clay?
Daniil Medvedev lost 6-0, 6-0 for the very first time!
The 2021 US Open champion was visibly frustrated during his double-bagel defeat, smashing his racket numerous times.
After the match, Jamie Murray delivered his verdict on Medvedev’s performance.
Jamie Murray is ‘sure’ Daniil Medvedev will be embarrassed walking back into the locker room
Speaking to Sky Sports, Murray offered his immediate reaction to the 30-year-old’s Monte Carlo exit.
“It is shocking, yeah, it shouldn’t happen,” he said.
“It did…
“I don’t know how much of an effect that will have on him going forward.
“I’m sure he will be pretty embarrassed walking back into the locker room.
Daniil Medvedev vs Matteo Berrettini – Match stats
| Stats | Daniil Medvedev | Matteo Berrettini |
| Aces | 1 | 0 |
| Double faults | 5 | 0 |
| 1st Serve % | 36% | 65% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 42% | 73% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 25% | 83% |
| Break points | 0/2 | 6/8 |
| Points won | 17 | 50 |
“I’d be wanting to get off-site pretty quickly, I think, if that was the performance that I’d put in today.”
Murray was surprised to see Medvedev produce such a disappointing performance, even though the Russian’s disdain for the clay is well-known.
“He played so well in Indian Wells, as well,” he said.
“Obviously, he talks about clay not being his favourite surface, and the difficulties that he has on it.
“But he won in Rome, it was his only clay-court title, but if you can win in Rome, you can play on clay.
Daniil Medvedev’s ATP title breakdown
- Hard-court titles – 21
- Clay-court titles – 1
- Grass-court titles – 1
“It was a big surprise to see him go down, a couple of eggs there.
“But fair play to Berrettini for doing that, because that’s not an easy thing to do.”
Daniil Medvedev takes major step back after strong start to the year
Medvedev endured a torrid 2025 campaign.
Winning just one Grand Slam match, Medvedev split from his coach, Gilles Cervara, bringing in Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke as his replacements.
Shortly after, Medvedev won the Almaty Open in Kazakhstan, and carried that form through to the new year.
The Russian won the Brisbane International in January and impressed at Indian Wells a few months later, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in three sets.
Those performances catapulted him into third in the ‘Live ATP Race to Turin’, having accumulated more points than anyone not named Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner this year.
Live ATP Race to Turin
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 1 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 3,050 |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 3,000 |
| 3 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 1,710 |
| 4 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 1,700 |
| 5 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 1,400 |
| 6 | Alex de Minaur | Australia | 1,145 |
| 7 | Ben Shelton | USA | 1,060 |
| 8 | Tommy Paul | USA | 1,015 |
| 9 | Arthur Fils | France | 980 |
| 10 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 975 |
It looked like the ‘Medvedev of old’ was back, and fans were excited about what was to come.
Unfortunately, the version of Medvedev we just witnessed in Monte Carlo was one that we saw far too often in 2025.
Petulant, frustrated, and nowhere near the level needed to compete with the best players in men’s tennis.
On paper, a defeat to Berrettini on clay isn’t disastrous, but the manner of the defeat was concerning, to say the least.
Medvedev didn’t show much fight, nor did he show any ability to problem-solve as things unraveled.
If he is to maintain his status in the top-five of the ‘Live ATP Race’ as the clay-court season progresses, he can’t afford any more performances like that.
Johansson and Goetzke will need to work tirelessly to prepare Medvedev for the upcoming tournaments.
The 30-year-old is next scheduled to compete at the Madrid Open, later this month.
Of the three clay-court Masters events, Madrid is where Medvedev has struggled the most…
Daniil Medvedev’s record at clay-court Masters 1000s
| Event | Best performance | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Monte Carlo Masters | SF – 2019 | 10-7 | 59% |
| Madrid Open | QF – 2024, 2025 | 8-6 | 57% |
| Italian Open | W – 2023 | 10-5 | 67% |
That is a worry, although he has reached the quarterfinals on his last two visits to the Spanish capital.
It remains to be seen if he can bounce back from his Monte Carlo ’embarrassment’ with a strong showing in Madrid, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The 2026 Madrid Open begins on Monday, April 20.
