Daniil Medvedev is set to make his return at the Madrid Open this weekend, following a short-lived appearance at the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier this month.
His first match of the clay season ended in a one-sided defeat, as Matteo Berrettini handed him a 6-0, 6-0 loss.
Frustration got the better of Medvedev during that match. He smashed his racket multiple times in front of the crowd, showing just how much he was struggling to find his rhythm.
Despite that setback, Medvedev had otherwise started 2026 on a high note. He picked up two titles and reached the final at Indian Wells before things went off track in Monte Carlo.
Clay has never been where Medvedev feels most comfortable. According to Patrick Mouratoglou, former coach of Serena Williams, his approach to preparing for this part of the season hasn’t helped matters either.
Speaking to his followers on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “Daniil Medvedev is back in competition. We all have in mind his 6-0-6-0 loss against Berrettini.
“But my main takeaway is never forget the basis of your game. Here’s the mistake. He played in Monte Carlo on clay exactly the same way as he played his best matches on hardcourt.
“He played close to the baseline. He tried to win the point in the first three or four shots.
“When Alcaraz, after his loss against Daniil, said, ‘I’ve never seen, to be honest, Daniil playing like this’, Daniil said: ‘Right now I’m in confidence and when I’m in confidence I always say I feel like I’m an aggressive player’.”
“Daniil is completely right. The basis of his game is to cover the court extremely well, play 100 times the same spot if necessary, and of course if the player plays short, then he attacks. That’s his game.
“The thing is, he came to clay, and he thought, OK, I’m confident now, I’m going to do the same. No. Clay is a very different surface, so you have to adapt to it.”
With Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic both out, the seventh-seeded Medvedev will see this as a real chance to make a run in Madrid.
He’s on the opposite side of the draw from world number one Jannik Sinner and could be eyeing his first clay-court Masters 1000 final since Rome in 2023.
After receiving a bye through the opening round, he’ll face Fabian Marozsan next. The two have played three times before on tour, with Medvedev winning each encounter, including their most recent match at this year’s Australian Open.
If he gets past Marozsan again, his next opponent will be either Norwegian qualifier Nicolai Budkov Kjaer or Denis Shapovalov.
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