Daniil Medvedev said he will take inspiration from his countrywoman, Maria Sharapova, to improve his clay-court tennis. Sharapova did not like playing on clay courts in the early part of her career. However, the Russian tennis player managed to dominate the surface, and to win the Roland Garros twice.
And Medvedev, like Sharapova, hopes to make big improvements on clay. He explained to Eurosport: “It’s true, I forgot about her. Yes, I can be inspired by Sharapova’s journey. And it’s true, I’ve never been able to move very well on clay.
I slide not before the court, but after the court, because I don’t know , maybe I’m scared or something. In Doha, the on hard court was very slow, probably one of the slowest, along with Rotterdam a few years ago. And my wife told me that my coach Gilles was watching me play, and I was running everywhere, lobbing, hitting back, and he said: Damn, if Daniil could move good on clay, I think he’d be unbeatable.
I’m trying to work on that. I’m sure I can be even better on clay, I just need a really good day, or basically two weeks, that on hard courts sometimes I can be out for a few days and still win and then pick up the pace again.”
Medvedev’s coach on his player good moment
Giles Cervara, coach of the Russian, explained: “When he returns from Australia, the two weeks of training are very complicated because he doesn’t have confidence.
A player like Daniil has his convictions, his way of analyzing and managing situations. After the match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Rotterdam, where Daniil is extraordinary and often incredible, the spark was lit.
Once he’s in, once he’s on, everything that happens behind it, all the victories, it’s him, it’s just him. That’s where he starts and then goes up in flames. Right now he’s a meteorite, he’s catching fire and he’s continuing his trajectory catching fire.
The question now is: how long will it last? We have to make sure that it lasts as long as possible and that it can continue in the Masters 1000. The euphoric effect of the victories and the confidence also invite us to remain precise and vigilant about the different things to do to stay at the maximum.
Because we know things can go wrong quickly if we rely solely on trust. Indian Wells is very specific between surface, heat, cold, dryness; Miami is another thing, but there’s no reason he can’t play well there.”
