Medvedev keeps a lid on RG expectations

Daniil Medvedev is keeping his Roland Garros expectations at rock bottom despite playing as second seed when the clay-court major begins on Sunday.

The surprise winner of a first career title on dirt last weekend in Rome is hoping that his success over Holger Rune in the final will not be a one-off – but he’s not ready to tout any personal expectations over the coming fortnight.

“I feel good – maybe not as amazing as in Rome, but it really doesn’t matter that much,” he said.

“(It’s) most important is when the tournament starts.”

The former No. 1 who rose back to second in the ATP list behind Carlos Alcaraz 2, is finding his feet on the Paris clay, where his best previous showing was a 2021 quarter-final after five first-round defeats.

“I’ve had two practices here (on the Chatrier showcourt), I felt good. 

“I played kind of like in Rome, but it’s a little bit different here. The balls are much heavier.

“I’m sure there will be many more rallies than previous years. They felt really heavy for whatever reason.”

Medvedev is trying to ignore pre-event hype, with 14-time winner Rafael Nadal missing and  third seed Novak Djokovic seemingly not at 100 per cent.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, in a way,” Medvedev said. “What happened in Rome was amazing, especially beating a lot of good players (Zverev, Tsitsipas, Rune, Ruusuvuori, who went three sets with Alcaraz in Madrid)

“I for sure maybe have more expectations than usual in Roland Garros. 

“But it’s also tricky and you have to kind of use this confidence, but not get cocky, because that’s where the danger is. 

Sometimes you think, ‘Oh, well, I played so well, now it’s going to be easy’. Then in the first round you have problems. You can get angry and maybe lose the match.”