By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Ruling the Eternal City last spring has infused Daniil Medvedev with immutable confidence for this clay-court season.
The Rome champion won five games in a row defeating Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-4 in his 2024 clay-court opener in Monte-Carlo today.
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Eighteen of Medvedev’s 20 career titles have come on his beloved hard court, but the 2023 Roland Garros quarterfinalist says going the distance in Rome gives him the self-belief he can win any clay-court tournament, including the French Open.
“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,” Medvedev told the media in Monte-Carlo. “There’s no difference between the French or Rome.
“Of course the French 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. I know I can do well if I play well.”
The 2021 US Open champion said there are three primary reasons he’s struggled to replicate his hard-court success on dirt:
1. It’s tougher to win cheap points on serve.
2. Cay can elicit unruly bounces and
3. Medvedev finds himself having to work harder to win points on the slower surface.
“Now, clay is different from hard courts, because on hard courts I know I will, 90% of cases, will win,” Medvedev said. “But in clay, not. I need to work hard on each point. If I’m up 40-Love on hard courts on my serve, I might only lose two of those serve games in the year, which is not true on clay. There are more breaks, bad bounces. Sometimes even the second serve you can’t return.
“So 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 will face buddy Karen Khachanov in the Monte-Carlo round of 16.
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
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