Daniil Medvedev: "Everything from my side is a little bit worse on clay"
Daniil Medvedev, who is set to start his clay season soon at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters, reiterated his dislike for the surface in a recent interview, declaring that playing on clay weakens every attribute of his "a little bit."
Speaking to Tennis TV, the Russian opined that he finds it much easier to slide on hardcourts when compared to clay, going against the grain when compared to most players on tour.
"Everything from my side is a little bit worse on clay" Daniil Medvedev said.
"My movement, which is surprising, is better on clay than hard courts. I actually slide better on hard courts than on clay. Which is ridiculous, but it is what it is," Medvedev added.
"I actually slide better on hard courts than on clay" 🤣
@DaniilMedwed getting ready for his favourite surface 🤪
#RolexMonteCarloMasters https://t.co/Buc5wxv6ck
Having come into the Monte-Carlo Masters on the back of a title run at the Miami Open, Medvedev explained that due to his run there, he's only had three or four days of practice on clay.
The former World No. 1, who has time and again spoken about his aversion to playing on clay, did not think it was sufficient enough for him to adapt to the surface.
"The better you play, the less days you have on clay, so for this tournament, I would have, Maybe I'll have three or four days of clay game time. And if maybe for some players, it's enough. For me I definitely need more," Medvedev added.
Daniil Medvedev has won four titles in 2023 coming into Monte-Carlo
Daniil Medvedev won his fourth ATP title of the year by defeating Jannik Sinner in straight sets in the final of the Miami Open. The win secured Medvedev's first title at the Masters 1000 event.
Medvedev has been in excellent form in 2023 so far, winning four titles in his last five events -- title runs in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and Miami, along with a runner-up finish in Indian Wells (loss to Carlos Alcaraz).
The Russian has now won five (Miami, Shanghai, Cincinnati, Canada, Paris) of the six hardcourt ATP Masters 1000s events and has finished as the runner-up in the other (Indian Wells).
On clay, however, the World No. 4 continues to struggle. His best result in Monte-Carlo, for instance, has been reaching the semifinals, which he did back in 2019. At the Madrid Open, Medvedev has only reached as far as the third round, while his best result at the Italian Open has been reaching the second round.
In the 2023 edition, the 27-year-old, seeded third, will begin his campaign against either Ugo Humbert or Lorenzo Sonego.