Medvedev debuts at Roland Garros: should we expect sensations?

Athletistic/Tennis. On May 30, Thiago Wilde and Daniil Medvedev will face each other at the start of Roland Garros. The Russian is having an amazing season, winning 39 out of 44 games and claiming five titles.

The Russian last played at the Italian Open as number three in the rankings and reached the final, beating Emil Ruusuvuori, Bernabé Zapat-Miralles, Zverev, Yannick Hanfman and Stefanos Tsitsipas. In the final, he faced Holger Rune, whom he beat 7-5, 7-5 to win his first clay-court title and fifth in 2023. With this win, Medvedev moved up to second place in the standings. ATP.

Thiago Wild has mainly played in the Challenger tournament this season, picking up wins in Buenos Aires and Viña del Mar. He has also appeared in three qualifying matches for Roland Garros, winning each. The Brazilian started with a 2-0 victory over Antoine Bellier (7:6, 6:1). After that, he beat Richardas Berankis (6:2, 6:7, 6:2) and then beat Dominique Koepfer by shutout to reach the main draw at Roland Garros for the first time in his career.

Medvedev is the clear favorite given his recent performances on clay. The Russian scored 29 aces in four matches at Roland Garros last year. His basic skills and powerful ground shots will also come in handy. Wild will need luck to stand a chance against Medvedev. The Russian shows the best game of his career: in 2023 he won 87% of matches – before that, 2021 remained a record for Daniil with 82.9% of successful matches. Medvedev seems to have overcome his hatred of clay and has just won the Rome Masters. He now sits second in the standings and definitely looks like a heavy favorite in a duel with the 23-year-old Brazilian. Wild, even in qualifying, did not always look confident – for example, he beat Richardas Berankis (2:1) not without problems. Thiago is unlikely to catch at least one set against the Russian. Do not expect sensations in the upcoming confrontation. Bookmakers quotes are absolutely correct. Daniel is in great shape. He immediately takes the initiative.

Medvedev is a former world No. 1 in singles. Winner of a Grand Slam tournament (US Open 2021), runner-up in three Grand Slam singles tournaments (US Open 2019, Australian Open 2021 and 2022), winner of the 2020 ATP Finals, 2021 ATP Finals runner-up of the year, winner of 20 ATP singles tournaments, winner of the Davis Cup and the ATP Cup in 2021 as part of the Russian team.

Medvedev is one of only three Russian tennis players in history to have won a Grand Slam in men’s singles.

Andrey Andreev, Sport.Ru