Daniil Medvedev sharpens weapons for clay

Rome, May 10

World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev said he wants to focus on playing more spin and sharpen his slide to develop his game on clay as he gears up for Italian Open this week.

Medvedev has previously described himself as a “hardcourt specialist”, having won 18 of his 19 titles, including the 2021 US Open, on hardcourts. The 27-year-old, known for his flat groundstrokes and all-court coverage, arrives in Rome on the back of a quarterfinals exit at the Monte Carlo Masters and a last-16 defeat in Madrid.

Asked about what he has to do in order to play good tennis on clay, Medvedev told reporters on Tuesday: “Play definitely some more spin. Especially the sliding, I think the sliding was always a problem. After Madrid, after I lost, a couple days I practised there I tried really a lot to focus on the sliding, on the movement. I felt like I improved in these couple of days.”

Despite not being the biggest fan of clay, Medvedev reached the Monte Carlo semifinals and Barcelona final in 2019. The Russian said he has been pleased with his form while practising in Rome and hopes to build on it during the tournament.

“I always said the thing about clay is I don’t have enough time… You don’t have that much time to practice,” he said. “I was not missing many balls here these last two days. It was tough for my opponents. Again, you never know.” — Reuters

Stan the man  

Rome: Former world No. 3 Stan Wawrinka shone following a rain delay at the Italian Open as the oldest player in the men’s draw powered past Ilya Ivashka 6-2 6-4 to book his place in the second round. The 38-year-old set up a meeting with Grigor Dimitrov. In the women’s tournament, former US Open champion Sloane Stephens beat Nadia Podoroska 6-4 6-1. Lesia Tsurenko overcame two-time champion Elina Svitolina 6-4 6-3 in an all-Ukrainian clash. Reuters