“The bigger goal is to win a match in Roland Garros,” Daniil Medvedev jokes after his Australian Open final loss to Novak Djokovic


“The bigger goal is to win a match in Roland Garros,” Daniil Medvedev jokes after his Australian Open final loss to Novak Djokovic

Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev, the Russian tennis star, now ranked third in the world, came agonizingly close to lifting his first Grandslam title at the Australian Open 2021. Medvedev was outclassed and overpowered by the Serbian, Novak Djokovic in the final at the Rod Laver Arena. The Russian was humbled in straight sets and did not put up much of a fight against Djokovic.

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However, to Medvedev’s credit, he had a brilliant Australian Open 2021 journey. He had some memorable wins which includes a straight sets victory over his fellow Russian, Andrey Rublev. He also defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the semifinals. Sadly it was not meant to be a fairytale finish for the Russian. Medvedev came into the final on Sunday at the back of 20 successive victories, winning the Paris Masters, Nitto ATP Finals and the ATP Cup in succession. Despite losing the final, Medvedev overtook Dominic Thiem and rose to the number third spot in men’s rankings.

After his loss to Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev still had some good humor left in him. On asked about his goals for the 2021 season, the Russian stated that he aims to win a match at the French Open, a Grandslam where he is yet to win a first round match.

Daniil Medvedev sets his eye on a better clay court season this year

The Russian sets his eye on a better clay court campaign in 2021

Daniil Medvedev will aim to have a better clay court season in 2021 as the red clay takes over the tennis circuit starting from mid-April. The Russian is one of the top players on hard courts after his recent exploits on the surface. In his 20 match long unbeaten streak on hard courts, he has defeated each of the current top ten ranked players except Roger Federer, who has been missing on tour since last year.

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Medvedev has had a torrid time at the French Open in the past four years. He has lost four consecutive first round matches at Roland Garros. In 2017, he lost to Benjamin Bonzi after he gave a walkover in the fourth set. In 2018, he lost to Lucas Pouille in straight sets, followed by a five set loss against Pierre-Hugues Herbert in 2019. In 2020, he suffered a shock first round loss to Marton Fucsovics.

Daniil Medvedev will certainly have to level up on his clay court game if he is to be considered one of the top players in the world. With the quality the Russian possesses, it will be no surprise to see Medvedev have a good clay court season in 2021.

Also Read: Australian Open 2021: “Proud of my Aussie summer” – Daniil Medvedev says he ‘can’t wait to get back’