2023-05-21 17:50:17
The Russian dominated Holger Rune in the final (7-5, 7-5) on Sunday and is full of confidence on clay a week before Roland-Garros.
What if Daniil Medvedev was added to the list of title contenders at Roland-Garros? The Russian, who has long been in difficulty on clay, proved that he was increasingly efficient there by winning the Masters 1000 in Rome on Sunday May 21.
The latter won in the final once morest the Dane Holger Rune (7-5, 7-5), winning his very first coronation on ochre. A success that also allows him to climb to 2nd place in the world a week before the Parisian tournament, which will reshuffle the cards when the main draw is drawn up.
Against the young Dane, Daniil Medvedev was more consistent and cracked his opponent on the decisive points. In the first set, he saved two break points before converting one, at the net, on set point (7-5).
Frustrated, Holger Rune returned to the locker room between the two sets and converted his rage into power to start the second set on a white break. But, opposite, the Russian kept up the pace and broke for the first time. Then, as Rune regained the lead and served for the set, Medvedev broke a second time. He finally managed to take his opponent’s face-off to win the match (7-5).
Medvedev “blew locks in his head”
“If I had been told that I would win a Masters 1000 on gravel…Before this tournament, it was not so bad in Monte Carlo and Madrid. There I felt incredibly good. I proved to myself that I I was able to do it”reacted Daniil Medvedev at the end of the match, who spoke of a start “of friendship” with this surface, but not yet “of love”.
More comfortable on hard, he had for example never won a single meeting on his first three participations in the Masters 1000 in Rome. According to his trainer Gilles Cervara, reported by L’Equipethe Russian “blew locks in his head” on this surface, in particular with work on slips.
While“he was inhibited on earth because his state of mind was not suited to produce anything” according to his coach, Daniil Medvedev is therefore establishing himself as a serious competitor for Roland-Garros, although his best result at Porte d’Auteuil remains a quarter-final, in 2021.
His Roman success also allows him to pass second in the world and to hope for a more lenient table in Paris, especially since with this new ranking, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic might find themselves in the same part of the table.
Relive the highlights of the meeting
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