Tim Henman explains the reason he thinks Daniil Medvedev lost to Adam Walton in shock defeat at the French Open

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Adam Walton defeated Daniil Medvedev, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4, in the first round of the French Open.

The Australian delivered the biggest upset of the French Open so far, knocking out the former Grand Slam champion in five sets.

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During TNT Sports’ post-match coverage, Tim Henman, Mats Wilander, and Alex Corretja delivered their verdict on Medvedev’s French Open exit.

Tim Henman thinks the conditions hurt Daniil Medvedev against Adam Walton

“It is a shock, but we know that [Daniil] Medvedev has this love-hate relationship with clay,” said Henman.

“It’s the seventh time that he’s lost in the first round here, in Paris.

Daniil Medvedev’s French Open performances

• 2017 – Lost in 1R to Benjamin Bonzi
• 2018 – Lost in 1R to Lucas Pouille
• 2019 – Lost in 1R to Pierre-Hugues Herbert
• 2020 – Lost in 1R to Marton Fucsovics
• 2021 – Lost in QF to Stefanos Tsitsipas
• 2022 – Lost in 4R to Marin Cilic
• 2023 – Lost in 1R to Thiago Seyboth Wild
• 2024 – Lost in 4R to Alex de Minaur
• 2025 – Lost in 1R to Cameron Norrie
• 2026 – Lost in 1R to Adam Walton

“So from that point of view, we wouldn’t necessarily be surprised.

“But the scoreline was so up and down, Medvedev had points for a double break in the fifth set, wasn’t able to take it, and [Adam] Walton made him pay.

“He’s had some great results on clay; he won Rome not so long ago, and he can play well.

“I think, ironically, he struggles when it’s livelier, when it’s bouncier like this.

“He doesn’t play with a lot of spin on the forehand side, and the ball can fly; he’s very flat off the backhand, and unfortunately, it hasn’t gone his way at Roland Garros.”

Wilander and Corretja were also keen to weigh in.

“I don’t know if the temperatures are good for Daniil Medvedev; he plays very flat, and when it’s this hot, you want to be able to get the ball up and hit with some topspin, and he doesn’t do that,” said Wilander.

“It’s a fast court, so in that way, maybe it is good for Medvedev, but in the long run, I think it’s not good for him. I think he would be much better on a slower court.

“But he’s lost to Walton before, in Cincinnati last year, so am I surprised? Yes, because he pushed [Jannik] Sinner, but what can Medvedev do, Alex, going forward?

“In my eyes, it was like, against Sinner, he knew he had to go for more,” said Corretja.

“It seems like today, he was again, far back, waiting and playing slowly, too much.

“I miss from Daniil, to be a little more aggressive. Especially with these conditions, if you are only running side to side, in the end, guys are going to find winners, and make you run.

“So I have to say, it’s a big surprise for me, I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

Adam Walton claims his win over Daniil Medvedev in Cincinnati gave him the ‘belief’ to triumph at Roland Garros

During his post-match interview, Walton was asked how he was feeling after winning a five-set thriller on Suzanne-Lenglen.

“Pretty tired right now!” he said.

“It was such an up-and-down match.

Daniil Medvedev vs Adam Walton – Match stats

“Got off to a hot start and then, I don’t know, felt like the ebbs and the flows of the match were quite large today.”

Walton then shared how much the win meant to him, defeating a top-10 player for the first time.

“It’s huge,” he said.

“Beating him in Cincinnati definitely gave me the belief today.

Daniil Medvedev and Adam Walton’s head-to-head record (1-2)

• 2025 Cincinnati Open 2R – Adam Walton defeated Daniil Medvedev, 6-7, 6-4, 6-1
• 2025 Almaty Open 2R – Daniil Medvedev defeated Adam Walton, 7-5, 7-6
• 2026 French Open 1R – Adam Walton defeated Daniil Medvedev, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4

“I knew I could do it, I believed.

“I’m really happy with my performance and really excited right now.

The Aussie continued, explaining how he managed to fight back in the final set.

“I felt like he was playing pretty well, he was making a lot of first serves and he was liking my ball,” said Walton.

“I knew I just had to hang tough.

“I thought the 3-1 game, I faced some break points there, and if I go down 4-1 double break, it’s going to be pretty tough from there. So getting that hold, keeping the score close, I knew if I kept fighting, maybe I would get a chance, and I’m glad I did!”

Finally, Walton delivered his verdict on the scorching conditions at Roland Garros.

“It’s definitely hotter than previous years that I played here,” he said.

“But we grew up in the heat, we like the heat. It makes the ball move faster through the air, which I think helped my game today, so I like it when it’s hot in Paris.”

Adam Walton’s peculiar French Open preparation pays off

Walton’s upset win becomes even more surprising when you look at his pre-Roland Garros form.

The 27-year-old only won one match on clay, playing two events in Houston and Madrid.

While most players transitioned to European clay after the Sunshine Double, Walton travelled to Asia to attend a series of hard-court Challenger Tour events.

Adam Walton’s 2026 record since Miami (10-6)

The move clearly paid off and Walton can now look forward to his second-round match.

Walton will play Zachary Svajda in the second round of Roland Garros.