"Daniil Medvedev Dislikes Playing on Clay, Considers Himself a Hardcourt Specialist," Says Former US Open Champion

ParallelDesk 12:12:38 PM, 27 April 2023

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Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev has reiterated his self-proclaimed status as a hardcourt specialist, saying that he dislikes playing on clay and that his feelings about the surface will probably never change. The World No. 4 made these comments at a pre-tournament press conference ahead of his 2023 Madrid Open campaign, where he is set to play Andy Murray or Andrea Vavassori in the second round. When asked about his goals for the clay swing, Medvedev admitted that he has historically struggled on the surface and that winning a big title or even reaching the final of a Masters 1000 event on clay would be a good result for him. He went as far as the quarterfinals in the first Masters competition of the swing in Monte-Carlo, where he was eventually defeated by runner-up Holger Rune. "On hard courts, honestly, my every goal is to try to win the tournament. On clay courts, I think the moment I win a big title, if it's gonna happen in my career, we never know, the goal is going to be every time after this to win a tournament," Medvedev said. He added that his first priority on clay is to feel good on the surface and to try to regain control of the game. Medvedev joked that he is just a "not clay specialist," and he does not foresee his feelings about the surface changing unless he decides to play only on clay in his final season and spends all of his pre-season preparing for the surface. Medvedev acknowledged that he would have to dedicate separate time during his pre-season training sessions to get better on clay, but given how good he is on hardcourts, he believes that it is not wise to prioritize one surface over the other. He believes that his Monte-Carlo stint taught him a few things and that he did start to adjust to the surface as he played more matches. Nonetheless, he looks forward to the clay swing ending soon and returning to the hardcourts, where he feels more comfortable.