“I know that I can play well on clay” – Hardcourt specialist Medvedev hoping to carry season-best start to the red dirt
Clay has historically been the worst surface for Medvedev but the Russian knows he can be dangerous on the red dirt when he is playing well
Daniil Medvedev at Roland-Garros in 2022
Image Credit: Fotoarena / Panoramic
There’s no doubt that Daniil Medvedev is a hard-court specialist. His results speak to that. 18 of the Russian’s 19 ATP titles have come on his favourite surface (his only non-hardcourt title has come on grass).
Now, after enjoying his best start to a season in 2023 – a 29-3 win-loss record that includes the Miami Masters title and three others, Medvedev is hoping to take his form and confidence into the clay court season.
“Talking about clay, again, I know that I can play well on clay. I beat Novak Djokovic once on clay. I actually beat Tsitsipas and Novak at the same tournament once, wow. That’s pretty good achievement on clay.” the 27-year-old said after his triumph in Miami.
After failing to win a match in his first four appearances at Roland-Garros, Medvedev has turned the corner in Paris, reaching the quarter-finals in 2021 and the fourth round last year.
But he acknowledged that clay remains a bigger challenger for him, especially when he is not playing his best tennis. That fact is reflected on his overall win-loss ratio on clay as compared to other surfaces.
- Clay courts: 18-23 (43%)
- Hard courts: 245-81 (75%)
- Grass courts: 33-17 (66%)
“Last year fourth round (at Roland-Garros) and before quarters. Not too bad,” Medvedev said. “But if on hard courts like here I feel like many of the matches I didn’t play my best tennis, but I managed to win them and the tournament. Clay court is tougher for me. If I don’t play my best tennis, I can lose much easier. Hopefully I can be at my best on clay court season.”
The Russian, who is back up to No 4 in the world rankings after dropping to No 12 at the end of January, begins his clay court season in Monte-Carlo and is keeping his expectations low knowing that he won’t have much time to get adjusted to clay due to his extended stay in Miami.
“The earlier you lose in Miami, the more clay court practice you can get,” Medvedev said to the Tennis Channel. “The first tournament will be very tough. I’m already preparing myself mentally not lose my mind and be calm. Maybe I will play very badly in Monaco, maybe not, because my confidence is at its peak. I can be dangerous on clay, but I have to have a good day. If I start matches badly, it’s hard for me to turn them around.”
After turning his season around following his slump in 2022, Medvedev may just be ready to turn his fortunes around even on the red dirt!!
