Daniil Medvedev is set to get his Qatar Open campaign underway in Doha, where there is a competitive field.
Both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will be in action at the ATP 500 event, with the Spaniard looking to continue his unbeaten streak in 2026.
Will Carlos Alcaraz win the Calendar Slam in 2026?
If not, which Grand Slam is he going to fail to win?
Medvedev kicked his season off with a title at the Brisbane International, where he battled past the likes of Frances Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima en route to a 22nd tour-level crown.
Since then, the Russian reached the fourth round at the Australian Open before crashing out in round one at the Rotterdam Open.
Ahead of his run at the Qatar Open, Medvedev took to the practice courts with second seed Sinner and gave his verdict on the conditions.
Daniil Medvedev says the court speeds in Doha vary throughout the day
In an interview with Tennis TV, he said of the courts: “I think it’s very different in countries like this, in the desert let’s call it, from the day to the night.
“During the day, it’s kind of fast. You can feel the court, actually, being super slow, but during the day, because it’s still hot, it goes quick.
Who is going to win the 2026 men’s Qatar Open?
“It’s not easy to break. But at night it is a completely different story. On this slow court, there are a lot of rallies.
“I think you can break a lot of times, maybe lose your serve sometimes. So it depends on when you play.
“It’s a bit slow, but it has always been like that here, so no surprise,” concluded Medvedev, who won the Qatar Open in 2023 after defeating Andy Murray in the final.
Daniil Medvedev says it was ‘not easy’ to practice in the wind at the Qatar Open
Medvedev also highlighted the heavy wind at the Qatar Open.
He said: “I was practicing yesterday on Centre Court, and there was a tiny bit of wind, and then we went outside and we could not hit one ball because it is so windy.
“The wind itself is not a problem. It’s the adaptation from Centre Court straight away to the other one. It was not easy.
“So yeah, it depends which court you play on, but look, there’s wind everywhere in the world, so you just need to adapt.”
Medvedev, currently ranked 11th in the world, is seeded fourth at this year’s Qatar Open.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
