Daniil Medvedev found himself in a bit of an odd situation at the Monte Carlo Masters as the world No. 11 asked for a physio on the court after his first-round match was over.
On Monday, the Russian tennis star scraped past fellow compatriot Karen Khachanov 7-5 4-6 6-4 in a tight battle that lasted nearly three hours.
In the final moments of the match, Medvedev appeared to be cramping. And after he shook hands with his rival and got to his bench, he turned to the chair umpire to see if he could get a physio treatment before leaving the court.
Medvedev repeated his well-documented feelings about clay
Over the years, the 29-year-old has spoken multiple times about the way he feels about clay courts and slow conditions. To no one's surprise, he repeated in Monte Carlo that clay wasn't his favorite surface and that the conditions were slow.
I practiced very well before the tournament, better than I played today, though I played well. Its the first match on clay, its not my favorite surface, so some important points and some shot decisions were not good enough. But Im happy to win," Medvedev said.
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"I watched the matches today on clay and there were a lot of breaks; all of them were up and down. I dont think Karen hit one ace and hes a big server. So, it was pretty slow, but Im happy with my level in general and looking forward.
Medvedev will battle against Alexandre Muller in the Monte Carlo second round. The Russian leads the head-to-head against 39th-ranked Muller 2-0 but this will be their first meeting on clay. Going into the match, the 29-year-old will certainly hope not to experience any physical issues.
