Medvedev’s coach Gilles Cervara highlights key areas for his pupil to work on clay
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World No.3, Daniil Medvedev has really grown into a highly competitive player over the past few years. He has beaten the best players on the tour, made two finals of the Grand Slams, and also reached a career high ranking of 2 early this year.
However, the Russian is yet to win big titles on the clay. Such has been his struggle on the surface that he is yet to get past the first round at Roland Garros. Moreover, Medvedev even made his views clear on how boring and dirty it is to play on the dirt.
Unfortunately, Medvedev had to miss the start of the clay season in Monte Carlo and Barcelona due to the Covid-19 infection. But he is playing the ongoing Madrid Masters, and will also make an appearance at the upcoming tournament in Rome and Roland Garros.
As reported by tennismajors, Medvedev’s coach, Gilles Cervara pointed out a few areas on where his pupil needs to work.
“Yes, Daniil keeps the ball in the court whatever happens, but his ball does not have the same impact on clay as it does on hard courts, and it does not affect the opponent in the same way. I am talking about speed, spin, power, time left for the opponent to hit the shot. Furthermore, he does move well, but it is not the same to move well on hard and on clay – the balance is not the same, so the shot is not the same.”
Important to maintain the original identity
While Medvedev might not have great credentials on the clay, he sure has the game to beat the top guys, owing to his consistent shot making from the back court. However, Cervara feels the key aspect for the Russian is to not lose his identity on the court.
“The brain assumes that you are one kind of player, that you are good when you do this and when you do that. If you introduce things that go out of these frames, that is a challenge. The coach has to build another model, with the player involved that will lead him to think he can be good with other patterns, in the same frame. So, our task is finding the good ratio between what Daniil needs to improve to be better on clay and what we cannot lose so that he remains the strong player he already is.”
The 25-year-old is one of the fittest players on the tour, and has also improved with his temperament lately. His coach has further assured that his team will do the needful to ensure Medvedev gets better going ahead.
“He still has to learn about himself, his game, and to be open for it to change. Daniil will find the answers. It is all about staying strong in the head when things start to become hard because it is not your best surface. We, his team, will do everything possible to lead him to resist these moments, which will certainly happen,” Cervara said.
Also read: Rejuvenated Djokovic hopes spiritual trip to Bosnia & Herzegovina will help him at Roland Garros
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Vivek Krishnan
(767 Articles Published)