Daniil Medvedev admits he is scared of playing the Spaniard on clay but added that in a way he would like to experience how it feels to play the Spaniard on the dirt.
Against Nadal, Medvedev has played six times and he has just one win and five defeats.
Also, all of their first six meetings came on the hard surface.
Nadal, a record 14-time French Open, is widely considered the greatest clay court player in tennis history.
Medvedev on the prospect of playing Nadal on clay
“I didn’t play Rafa on clay. Rafa on clay is probably the worst and best challenge in tennis. When I say ‘worst,’ it’s because he lost, what, I don’t know, 10 matches? I’m not even sure he lost 10. I mean, last years he was losing a little bit more in tournaments like Rome and Monte-Carlo. But, yeah, I will be honest, I’m scared to play Rafa on clay. In a way I want to try it, and for sure I will fight to win, but that must be scary to go out against Rafa on clay. Novak I managed to beat him few times. But again, that’s two guys who have 22 Grand Slams. Yeah, I would say, you know what? Novak in Australia is tough. I had few, I would say, I lost probably four times against him, four or five there. Didn’t win once even though some of them were close battles, especially ATP Cup or the first time played him in the Australian Open. But thinking back of these matches, I don’t know why there he plays, in my opinion, better than on other continents or courts. But, that’s tough, same like Rafa on clay, he barely loses there. Yeah, tough challenges, and I hope I can do it one day in my career,” Medvedev said, per Musab Abid.
Daniil Medvedev when asked whether, in terms of the baseline game, it’s tougher to play Rafael Nadal on clay or Novak Djokovic on harcourt: pic.twitter.com/N2cX7vTaDJ
— Musab (@Musab_Abid) March 11, 2023
Meanwhile, Nadal is still recovering from a hip injury sustained in Australia.
In early March, Nadal announced his withdrawal from Indian Wells and Miami.
In his message, Nadal didn’t give any clear timetable for his return but the general belief is that the Spaniard is aiming to return in Monte Carlo, which starts on April 9th.