Daniil Medvedev revealed what he dislikes most about playing tennis on clay courts.
Throughout his career so far, the vast majority of the Russian’s success has come on hard courts.
In fact, of the 20 titles to the 28-year-old’s name, only one has come on the dirt. It came in 2023 when he defeated Holger Rune to win the Italian Open.
A year later, Medvedev aims to successfully defend his championship and he began his campaign with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Britain’s Jack Draper.
Though the World Number Four is starting to become more comfortable on the clay, it did not stop him from sharing what he despises about it.
What does Daniil Medvedev not like about playing on clay?
Following his opening round victory at the Foro Italico, Medvedev was not happy about how messy the surface can make a player’s clothes.
“When someone asks me, ‘What’s the thing you really hate about clay?’ for me it’s dirty. I don’t like it,” he told reporters.
“Locker rooms are dirty. When you come, you clap the shoes to get out the clay. It’s dirty. Socks, you can throw away after clay season, for sure. In your car after practice, it’s dirty. So I don’t like it. It is what it is. Now I enjoy it more and more.”
Saturday’s win marked Medvedev’s 84th career victory on clay, to go with 46 losses, giving him a 64.62 win percentage.
Should he successfully defend his Italian Open crown, not only will this be his second clay court triumph, but also his very first career title defence.
How Medvedev feels about his fitness after Madrid Open withdrawal
After a round of 16 exit in Monte Carlo, Medvedev reached the quarter-finals in Madrid but withdrew from his match against Rafael Nadal’s conqueror Jiri Lehecka after losing the first set.
He was forced to stop playing due to a right leg injury, but it did not appear to be troubling him against Draper in the Italian capital.
After claiming his 100th match win at Masters 1000 level, the former World Number One sounded very positive regarding his fitness.
“I did a good job with my team to be ready. I already knew two, three days ago that I’m feeling better and better,” Medvedev said.
“Two days before the tournament, I was going 100 per cent in practice so in a way I was not worried, but it’s good to finally [play] a match and be more sure that yes I can do it and I have no pain.”
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