By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday May 21, 2023
Now that he’s a Masters 1000 champion on clay, Daniil Medvedev has officially beaten the odds.
After many years spent fighting against the surface, and making his feelings about it known, something clicked for the Russian this season on the surface. Still, even though he was feeling good on clay heading into Rome, he didn’t believe much in his chances to come away with the title in the eternal city.
What were his chances, in his own mind?
“I would say two percent,” Medvedev told Tennis Channel on Sunday after taking out Holger Rune 7-5, 7-5 in the final. “Normally it would be zero but I was feeling so well before the week that maybe if you would ask me, I'll be like, ‘Okay, let's make it 2 percent, just to give myself a chance.’”
But things changed as the Rome fortnight progressed, and Medvedev commenced – for the first time in his career – to actually win matches at the Foro Italico. He entered the tournament with a 0-3 lifetime record in Rome, and zero Top 10 wins on clay since 2019. He leaves at 5-3, with Top 10 wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune in the books.
“I was playing amazing every match I played,” Medvedev said. “I was happy with myself… just super happy to win a Masters 1000 on clay.”
So, how does it feel to beat the odds and change fortunes on a surface that had been a true thorn in his side for many years? And how does he feel about his chances in Paris, where he was a quarterfinalist in 2021 and has made the second week in each of his last two appearances, but owns a 7-6 lifetime record?
“I'm feeling great,” Medvedev said. “It's the best week on clay in my life. It's always great to come into a Grand Slam with a lot of confidence. But you always have strong opponents there, it’s out of five sets and you need to be 100 percent. That's what I'm going to try to do.”
Medvedev says that he isn’t about to get caught up in the hype that he is a lock to make a deep run in Paris. Instead, he’s just happy to know that it’s a possibility if he continues playing well.
“I still have not that big expectations in a way but I know that I can do better than I thought, that's good,” he said. “I'm just happy because I never thought I would be able to do it," he said. “To win some matches, yes. to maybe be in semis with a good draw or some good days, yes, but I never thought I would win a Masters 1000 on clay, and I'm just super happy and proud of myself.”