Russia’s Daniil Medvedev has been one of the most consistent players on the ATP Tour over the last few years.
Since the start of 2021, the 28-year-old has played in the final of five Grand Slams where he won once and suffered defeats in the other four.
In the early part of Medvedev’s career he showed promise but largely on the hard and the grass courts. On clay, he was a different player as he struggled to produce positive results consistently.
That, however, has changed in the last three years. Medvedev won his first silverware on the dirt after winning the Rome Masters in 2023 by beating Denmark’s Holger Rune in the final.
Daniil Medvedev outlines what has helped him become better player on clay
And, while talking to the Tennis Channel in Madrid, he has explained how he has managed to become more consistent on a surface which is still not his favourite.
“I still don’t like too much playing on it,” he said. “I feel that my game is not, doesn’t suit the best, my movement doesn’t suit the best, my serve is not that aggressive as on hard courts.
“It started last year where I understood what I want to do on clay and how I want to play and how I can beat all the top guys by playing that tennis. Now I know what I want from myself.”
He continued by saying: “The most important thing for me is to go out of the match and say did I try to do what I wanted to do meaning like heavy top spins on the forehand, I don’t know, drop shots, whatever it is and if I do then I am not that frustrated.
“Two three years ago, I was frustrated because I did not know what to do. I went into the match and I could play good or bad but I didn’t know and that frustrates a lot of people.”
Still room for improvement for Daniil Medvedev
Despite his recent success on clay, Medvedev clearly has a lot of room for improvement. Even when things have gone slightly better for him on the red surface, he has only managed to play once beyond the fourth round at the Roland Garros.
This season, the one-time Grand Slam winner has had a tough opening to the clay court season, as he was knocked out of the Monte-Carlo Masters in the third round after losing to Russia’s Karen Khachanov in straight sets.
In the ongoing Madrid Open, Medvedev has put in some impressive performances and has booked his place in the fourth round after beating America’s Sebastian Korda with a score of 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 on Monday.
The 2021 US Open winner will be hoping that his outing in Madrid and later potentially in Rome will help him improve his overall record at the French Open where he has a win rate of just 50%, his lowest out of all the Grand Slams.
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