Daniil Medvedev and clay courts have a famously complicated relationship. The former world No. 1 has only won the Rome Masters once without any other major deep runs, and he is always the first to admit that sliding around on red clay isn’t exactly his natural calling. So, how does a hard-court specialist try to do better on the surface? By studying the best in the business.
During a recent fan event hosted by their shared racket sponsor, Tecnifibre, Medvedev confessed that his ultimate clay-court study guide is Iga Świątek. And the four-time French Open champion, sitting right next to him, had a quick response to troll the Russian.
Iga Świątek Turns Daniil Medvedev’s French Open Clay Praise Into 3-Hour Match Roast
Both Medvedev and Świątek are flagship ambassadors for French sports equipment company Tecnifibre, and their paths cross during joint promotional events. At a sit-down ahead of their French Open campaign, the topic naturally shifted to the clay courts.
When discussing his approach to the surface, Medvedev playfully admitted that he uses Swiatek’s matches as a live tutorial for his own game.”I look up to Iga’s matches,” Medvedev told the crowd. “Especially if she plays before me, that’s perfect. Because then I can see how you should…”
Before Medvedev could finish his sentence, the world No. 3 had to counter: “Unfortunately, I play after you, so you do it three hours later.”
“So that’s why it didn’t work out!” Medvedev laughed. “Because you were watching the right person play, not play. No, but I just try to do my best.”
“Sometimes I like clay, sometimes I don’t. And in Rome it was good. I hope in Roland Garros I’m gonna like it as well,” Medvedev added with hope.
Jokes aside, the Russian famously used to despise the surface, once muttering on his bench during a match, “It’s the worst surface in the world for me… But if you like to be in the dirt like a dog, I don’t judge.”
Because of his defensive, deep-court playing style, Medvedev’s matches have extended rallies, which naturally stretch the clock. At the 2024 Australian Open, Medvedev set the Open Era record for the most time spent on court during a single Grand Slam tournament, clocking a massive 24 hours and 17 minutes across two weeks. He played four matches that went to a full five sets, with two of them easily exceeding 4 hours on court.
MORE: ‘Tread Carefully’ – Iga Świątek Warning Emerges As French Open Nears
The recent Italian Open semifinal between him and Jannik Sinner lasted 2 hours and 37 minutes of actual on-court playing time before the weather interrupted. The match was continued the next day, with Sinner sealing the 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory.
Now, both Świątek and Medvedev set their sights on Roland Garros to reset their 2026 campaign. Świątek, who is usually the favorite on clay, had a few stumbling blocks, including an opening round exit in the Miami Open and a tough semifinal loss to Elina Svitolina in Rome. Meanwhile, Medvedev is looking to overcome his own frustrating string of early-season defeats. The main draw at the Roland Garros begins on May 24.
