“My only love hard court, but I definitely like clay more now” – Daniil Medvedev has a change of heart for clay after defeating Holger Rune and winning Rome Masters title

Against all odds and predictions, Daniil Medvedev won the Rome Masters 2023 by defeating Holger Rune in the final match. Daniil Medvedev never won a single match at the Rome Masters before 2023.

And in 2023, he won it all the way through to the end. The World No. 3 defeated the World No. 7 in straight sets 7-5, 7-5. Though the scores looked straightforward, the second set had several twists with several breaks and change of leads.

After the match, Daniil Medvedev spoke about how this was an unbelievable feat for him to win a clay Masters 1000 event. But he said he never lost believing in himself despite his past experiences on clay. The interviewer asked Medvedev whether he is now friends with clay. Medvedev said “Friendship, yes. But my only love hard court, but I definitely like clay more now.” Just a few days ago, during the Monte Carlo Masters round of 16, Medvedev had said “I still don’t like clay“.

Daniil Medvedev defeated some strong contenders to win the tournament. He defeated clay champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-final, and Yannick Hanfmann in the quarters. Before that, he defeated his great rival Alexander Zverev. When the interviewer asked Medvedev how he traversed from never winning a match at Rome to winning the title by defeating Holger Rune. “I want to believe in myself“, said Daniil Medvedev in a simple fashion.

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Daniil Medvedev never thought he would win a Masters tournament on clay

Daniil Medvedev said that he never would have in his wildest dream thought of winning an ATP 1000 tournament on clay. This is pure because he never liked clay up until 2023. He felt that he was getting his grip well on the courts and was able to move well. Medvedev was able to win two matches each in both the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open.

In the Monte Carlo Masters, he reached the quarter-final where he lost to Holger Rune. The Italian Open (Rome Masters) final was a rematch between the two players on a clay court. And this time Daniil topped Holger Rune. Medvedev felt this result was just because believed in himself and continued to play confidently. He also added “I’m very happy to show myself and everybody that I can play well on clay.” Later in the post-match conference, the World No. 3 said, while addressing his coach and wife. “I honestly didn’t think I would win a clay tournament I don’t know about you guys. Thanks for helping me to reach the heights in my career.”

Despite clay court specialists Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Carlos Alcaraz, it’s Daniil Medvedev who will be going to go into the French Open 2023 as a favorite. This is one of the most open French Open ever as Rafael Nadal withdrew last week. With the unpredictable outcome of the Rome Masters, it’s going to be a roller coaster ride at the French Open 2023.

In case you missed it:

• Patrick Mouratoglou backs Simona Halep as he presses the ITIA to stop harassing the two-time Grand Slam champion
• Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas feud still fresh as video of ignoring each other goes viral

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