World no. 3 Medvedev set to kick off Madrid Open 2023

The World No. 3 is set to kick off his 2023 Madrid Open campaign against either Andy Murray or Andrea Vavassori in the second round. The 19-year-old can go big and bold or display a deft feel around the court, sometimes drawing opponents in with a drop shot.

Ahead of his match in the Madrid Open, World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev said that the 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz’s drop shots are very disguised, and he is very interested in playing against the Spaniard.

In last month’s BNP Paribas Open final, Alcaraz broke Medvedev’s 19-match winning streak with a 6-3, 6-2 victory that helped the 19-year-old return to World No. 1. In the second leg of the ‘Sunshine Double’, Medvedev was named champion in Miami after he brushed off a string of opponents who tried but failed to successfully imitate Alcaraz’s winning drop shot approach against ‘Deep-court Daniil’.

Medvedev will be in Madrid action on Saturday, when he will meet Andy Murray or Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori. While clay may not be his favourite surface, Medvedev believes his best chance to make a run on the red dirt could be in the Spanish capital.

“It’s definitely different. I would say it’s a little bit like Roland Garros clay, where it’s kind of on a harder surface. Also altitude, so the balls are flying. According to the results of many people, I should be able to actually play better here than at other clay court tournaments. So far, I have not been able to do it. But every year is a new opportunity. This year is another one, and I’m going to try to just play my best and hopefully play some good tennis,” Medvedev said.