Daniil Medvedev has endured a tumultuous six months since winning his first Grand Slam by beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets at the US Open. The 26-year-old rose to the occasion superbly nine months removed from his defeat at the hands of the Serb in the Australian Open final to earn his breakthrough on the major stage.
Medvedev secured a second Grand Slam final berth in succession when he paved the way through to the final of the Australian Open once more in January 2022. He was seemingly on the path to a second-straight Grand Slam crown when he led Rafael Nadal by two sets.
However, he was rocked by the Spaniard’s comeback to slump to a crushing defeat. Despite his loss, Medvedev still replaced Djokovic as world number one due to his absence from the Australian Open. However, in the first ATP 1000 tournament since the Australian Open, Medvedev suffered a humbling defeat at the hands of Gael Monfils in the BNP Paribas Open, who secured his first career win over Medvedev. It was a familiar story for the Russian player ok as he took a one-set lead before Monfils responded with outstanding tennis to triumph in their third-round contest.
The result will no doubt affect his odds for the next Grand Slam at the French Open. Nadal has been the king of Roland Garros with 13 titles to his name, but there could be good value to had on Medvedev to make a rally on clay. Using Bonusfinder Canada you can find offers for free bets and deposit bonuses from leading tennis betting sites such as Mr Green and 888Sport.
These wagering sites provide premium value on odds for the French Open and other leading competitions around the globe. They will be in tune with Medvedev’s recent issues in the latter stages of tournaments, and there could be a chance to capitalise on the potential valuable odds of the Russian on clay.
Medvedev’s weakest surface is clay, which will also count against his hopes of winning at Roland Garros. The 26-year-old has played 105 matches on clay and has won 66 of those contests with a healthy winning percentage of 62.86%. However, that is 12% lower than his success on hard courts and his past performances at the French Open have not been encouraging.
Medvedev was knocked out of French Open in the first round in four-straight years between 2017 and 2020. He finally progressed out of the first week of the tournament in 2021 but was beaten in the quarter-finals by Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.
It is going to take a major transformation for his form on clay for the Russian to battle back from his disappointment earlier in the season. He has the attributes for success, but Nadal and Tsitsipas are the stronger players on clay and will present a huge challenge to overcome. However, if Medvedev was to cement his place as the man to beat in the men’s game, he will have to find a way to win as all the greats have in the past.
