Daniil Medvedev knows why he underperforms at Roland Garros—but keeps reason a secret

Daniil Medvedev was one of the few men on the ATP Tour to challenge world No. 1 Jannik Sinner through an otherwise dominant run through the clay swing, but Roland Garros again proved the 2021 US Open champ’s undoing.

Despite a semifinal finish at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia earlier this month—where he pushed Sinner to three sets—Medvedev was again unable to translate his general clay prowess to Paris and suffered a seventh first-round exit out of 10 main draw appearances. The latest was perhaps the most confounding, a five set defeat to Australia’s Adam Walton on Tuesday, but when it comes to why, Medvedev is keeping his cards close to the chest.

“I don't want to find excuses,” Medvedev said in his post-match press conference. “I know why I don't really play always my best in Roland Garros, but if I say it, it's excuses. So, I keep it to myself.”

Medvedev led 4-2 in the final set and held multiple break points two games later to serve for the match, but ultimately lost the final four games to post a fourth Grand Slam opening-round exit out of his last six. Still, the former No. 1 insists he hasn’t lost the “ability” to shine beneath the sport’s biggest spotlights.

“I do think it can come back any moment, meaning at Wimbledon, for example,” teased Medvedev, who reached back-to-back semifinals at SW19 in 2023 and 2024. “But again, if we talk in general about all four Grand Slams, I think if we compared all four Grand Slams to five years ago, the game is different in these Grand Slams, and I don't think it suits me well. So, it's very tough for me to get the rhythm going.

“First round is the toughest one, and once I get through it, maybe I can do better.”

As the No. 6 seed, Medvedev was in Sinner’s half of the draw, but Medvedev would have had to make his first-ever Roland Garros semifinal to have a shot at avenging his Rome defeat. Sinner will play his first round against French wild card Clément Tabur to begin his campaign for a Career Grand Slam in Paris.