Daniil Medvedev, possibility of qualitative jump on clay

The time has come to abandon all hints of complaint and resignation, the time has come to leave your comfort zone and assume that to be one of the best in the world, you need to increase your performance in clay court. If anyone is fully aware of this, it is Daniil Medvedev, whose relationship with this surface is reminiscent of those young people who permanently postpone studying a cumbersome and complicated subject, even though they are aware that sooner or later they will have to pass it. The Russian has expanded in recent years in criticizing this surface, stating that it can be very slow, the ball bounces too much and he doesn’t like to end every time dirty. As if it were a tantrum, his already famous “I don’t like clay” have to be left behind and move on to a stage in which he is able to adapt. This 2023 is the ideal opportunity.

And it is that arriving at this tour with a balance of 29-3 In this campaign, the confidence of the Russian is through the roof and it is much easier to face a huge challenge for him like this. He had never had such a splendid start to the season, combining a great moment on a mental level, but also physically. Last year it was the opposite; The media pressure of having gone through number 1 and a back injury greatly diminished his chances, reducing his presence on clay to two tournaments, resulting in a defeat against Gasquet in the first round in Geneva and the fourth round in Roland Garros. But there is reason for optimism looking back on Medvedev’s record on clay.

A player who was able to beat Djokovic in Monte Carlo and be a finalist in Barcelona, ​​all in 2019, knows that he can play well and opt for important things. He fundamental reason why Daniil does not adapt well to clay is clear; His game on the counter, with deep, incisive and flat shots, suffers a lot on a surface that rewards topspin on the ball and the ability to generate play, being patient from the baseline and being able to hit many balls. over the shoulder. Medvedev’s balls lose a lot of bite when they bounce over the albero and his impressive movements lack the efficiency of the hard court due to his lack of naturalness to slip.

Medvedev only adds one victory between the tournaments in Madrid and Rome

The Russian has commented on several occasions that to win games on this surface he needs to be perfect, both physically and mentally, and that he is not capable of carrying out commitments without playing very close to his maximum level. That could change this season, in which he plans to compete in many tour tournaments and gradually acclimatize and look for solutions that make his genuine tennis compatible with clay. The quarterfinals reached in Roland Garros 2021 give hope to a Daniil Medvedev that he has nothing to lose in these coming weeks and that he can dream of competing for world number 1 again if he does well. The fact of defending only 180 points and being 1,390 points from the top, can be a notable incentive for him to face this tour with renewed illusions.