Rafael Nadal's Roland Garros and Italian Open record remains intact after Daniil Medvedev's French Open exit
Daniil Medvedev was on the cusp of history after winning the Rome Masters, as he would have become the first player after Rafael Nadal to have won both the Rome Masters and the French Open until the Russian ran into Thiago Seyboth Wild in the first round at Roland Garros.
Medvedev, seeded second, was ousted by qualifier Wild 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (6-8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a pulsating match. The Russian would have become the first men's singles player since 1996 to emulate the feat of winning both the Rome Masters and the French Open, something Nadal had achieved eight times in his career.
Winning Rome and Roland-Garros Men's singles in same year since 1996.
Rafa Nadal X 8
Rest of field = 0
Medvedev had outclassed Holger Rune 7-5, 7-5 in the final of the Italian Open last week. The Italian Open triumph was the Russian's first title on clay.
Thiago Seyboth Wild relishes win over Daniil Medvedev
Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild crossed some important milestones in what was arguably one of his best career matches.
Ranked 172 in the world, Seyboth Wild became the lowest-ranked player to beat a second seed in the first round at Roland Garros since Mariano Zabaleta, ranked 213 in the world, beat the then-second seed Petr Korda in 1998.
It was also the first time in 21 years that a second seed has been ousted in the first round of a Grand Slam. Prior to Daniil Medvedev's defeat, Julien Boutter sent second seed Gustavo Kuerten packing at the 2002 Australian Open.
Speaking to the ATP post-match, Wild said beating Medvedev was a dream come true.
"I have watched Daniil play for my entire junior career, up until today. Playing on this court against this kind of player and beating him is a dream come true," Wild said.
Divulging details on his game plan, Wild said he wanted to get to the net as much as possible and also counter Daniil Medvedev's forehands with his.
"Walking on court I just wanted to get to the net as much as possible and use my forehand against his and it worked pretty well," he added.
He said it was a tough match, as he was cramping in the second set but had fuel in his tank to go the distance and beat Daniil Medvedev.
"It was pretty tough. I started cramping in the second set. I did my best and tried to play my best tennis and it worked. I am really happy with the way I played," he concluded.
Wild will run into Frenchman Quentin Halys or Guido Pella in the second round of the French Open 2023.