Daniil Medvedev has spoken frankly about his rollercoaster relationship with the clay but now the Russian believes he is in a position to win any tournament on the surface.
The former world No.1 has won the fewest matches (seven) at the French Open compared to any other Grand Slam. Only twice has he managed to register back-to-back wins which was in 2021 when he reached the quarter-finals and in 2022 when he reached the fourth round. Last year he was stunned in the first round by Thiago Seyboth Wild.
However, Medvedev broke new territory last season in Rome where he won his first Masters 1000 title on the clay. That run to the title saw him beat Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune.
“Last season mainly showed me that I can win any tournament on clay, because when you win Rome and you go to the quarters in the French, playing five sets, I believe I can win any tournament,” Reuters quoted the 28-year-old as telling reporters.
“There’s no difference between the French Open or Rome. The French Open is a Grand Slam, so it’s a bit different, but if you are able to do well in those tournaments, you are able to play any clay court tournament. It’s good for my confidence.
“Clay is different from hard courts, because on hard courts I know I will, 90% of cases, will win… I don’t like clay as much as hard courts because of all that, but I’m in a moment when I accept this.
“I try to find solutions, and I’m very happy in the zone I’m in right now.”
Medvedev is the fourth seed at this week’s Monte Carlo Masters. He kicked off his campaign with a 6-2, 6-4, win over Gael Monfils on Thursday and will next play compatriot Karen Khachanov who he has known since he was a young boy.
“When I was younger I didn’t like to play Karen. At one point he was really better than me, so I was going crazy. I was getting code violations and stuff because I was just not controlling myself well enough.” Medvedev recounts.
“It’s a big match. On clay I feel like Karen can play very very well and can be very dangerous. If I want to go far in the biggest tournaments, I need to beat top guys.”
As he got older Medvedev found a way to solve the problems presented by Khachanov whom he currently leads 5-1 in their head-to-head on the ATP Tour.
