Daniil Medvedev looks to adapt to clay coming into the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

Tennis News
Daniil Medvedev in action

Daniil Medvedev has certainly been an exciting player to watch this season. The Russian star has excelled on the hard courts this season, winning four tour-level titles. Not only that, but he also won his fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown earlier this month in Miami.

Medvedev will be looking to adapt his game for the clay-court swing as he turns his focus toward the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters this coming week.

“I definitely have to change my game because my strokes are too flat and clay does not let the ball go through the court as much. “My opponents can use those [shots against me].” Said Medvedev in his pre-tournament press conference.

The star is aware of the clay court’s different effects on a player’s game and will undoubtedly be looking to brush up on his game. Medvedev has not had the most successful performance on clay and has never claimed an ATP Tour Trophy on clay, with his best-ever clay performance coming from the Monte-Carlo semi-final in 2019. 

Medvedev had this to say about playing on clay: “At the same time, you can’t change what you do in nine months or a year drastically, so I have to find a good balance where I still play my game, with a little change, with some shots in the right moment.”

The Russian has certainly proved his comfortability on hard courts, having won 18 out of his 19 tour-level trophies on the surface. Not only that, but the third-seed star has shown his skill level with an impressive 29-3 record this year.

“I wish we could continue on hard, but I understand that there are different surfaces on Tour and that is good because some people are better on clay, some on hard, some on grass. It is good to have the different surfaces, I think that is good for the sport.” Said Medvedev on the different surfaces on Tour.

READ MORE: Can Daniil Medvedev finally hit his straps on clay and fall in love with the red dirt?

Medvedev has certainly made his court preferences heard but is confident in the different surfaces’ importance on Tour, as it forces the players into different styles of play when they step onto the surfaces.

The Bear has been on a dominant run and currently sits first in the ATP Live Race to Turin. The 27-year-old will be looking to cement his position with the Principality and is set to continue his run by either facing wild card Italian Lorenzo Sonego or qualifier Frenchman Ugo Humbert.

If you want to follow up on some more tennis excitement or live updates, WATCH MORE ATP CONTENT HERE.

Daniil Medvedev

Latest