He is the player who Daniil Medvedev used to ‘love’ watching play on clay but he never made it past the second round at Roland Garros

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Daniil Medvedev has a well-documented love/hate relationship with clay courts, often making headlines on the surface.

The Russian star has won 20 ATP titles as a professional, but only one has come on clay, with 18 coming on hard courts, and one on grass.

He shocked the world by winning the Italian Open title in 2023, taking down Denmark’s Holger Rune in the final.

Medvedev has struggled at the one clay court Grand Slam tournament, however, reaching the quarter-finals just once in his eight visits to the French capital.

Speaking just weeks away from the tennis’ return to clay courts, Medvedev has named the tennis star he enjoyed watching the most on the surface.

Florian Mayer: The player Daniil Medvedev used to ‘love’ watch play on clay

Speaking in a roundtable discussion ahead of the Miami Open, Medvedev looked back on the player he appreciated watching as a youngster.

“You know guys who I loved watching play, especially on clay which is strange when I was young, Florian Mayer,” he said.

“My first Challenger final, I played against Florian Mayer and I was feeling good, I lost 1-6, 2-6, he destroyed my game, it was unbelievable.”

The German star enjoyed a solid career on the ATP Tour, winning two titles, reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2004 and 2012.

Bursting onto the scene 21 years ago, Mayer shocked number three seed Guillermo Coria on his way to the last eight at SW19.

• QF – Florian Mayer lost to Sebastien Grosjean, 5-7, 4-6, 2-6
• 4R – Florian Mayer beat Joachim Johansson, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4
• 3R – Florian Mayer beat Wayne Ferreira, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4
• 2R – Florian Mayer beat Guillermo Coria 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
• 1R – Florian Mayer beat Wayne Arthurs, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6

He was unable to advance to the semi-finals, coming up short against Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean in three sets.

Mayer returned to the same stage eight years later, losing to world number one Novak Djokovic in straight sets, 4-6, 1-6, 4-6.

The pair faced off once more in the 2013 first round, where Mayer played his part in an excellent rally that showed off his talents to the Wimbledon crowd.

While Grand Slam success eluded him, the German did pick up two tour-level titles, with his first coming in Romania 14 years ago.

Heading to Bucharest as the number two seed, Mayer dropped just one set on his way to victory, beating Spain’s Pablo Andujar in the final, 6-3, 6-1.

He’d have to wait five years for another trophy, returning from a potentially career-ending injury to win the 2016 Halle title.

Entering with a protected ranking, Mayer knocked out Dominic Thiem and his countryman Alexander Zverev on his way to victory in Halle.

The grass court specialist picked up the biggest title of his career, as he clinched his first ATP 500 crown.

Florian Mayer only ever won three matches at the French Open

Medvedev may have fond memories of Mayer on the clay, but the German certainly didn’t play his best tennis at the French Open.

Traveling to the tournament 11 times, Mayer won just three matches, as he never reached the third round of Roland Garros.

• 2004 French Open 1R – Florian Mayer beat [16] Fernando Gonzalez, 6-7, 6-1, 6-0, 7-6
• 2011 French Open 1R – Florian Mayer beat Igor Kunitsyn, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
• 2012 French Open 1R – Florian Mayer beat Daniel Gimeno Traver, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3

The German ended his career with a disappointing 3-11 record in Paris, losing in the first round in each of his last four visits.

Mayer played his final match at the 2018 US Open, retiring from tennis with two ATP titles to his name, having reached a career high of 18th in the world.

His clay court legacy may not be the most storied on paper, but to Medvedev, it was certainly memorable.