Daniil Medvedev embraces role as defending champion in Rome, shakes off Madrid injury

ROME, Italy—Daniil Medvedev has been the first to joke about the strangeness of winning his most recent title on clay—famously his least favorite surface—but back at the Foro Italico for the 2024 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the reigning champion is embracing the role with his inimitable aplomb.

“There's photos of me with the cup, the nice tunnel where they show all the champions, I'm there,” he smiled in his Media Day interview on Thursday. “Pretty good feeling.”

Medvedev shocked himself—among others—when he stormed to the Rome title last spring in spite of going winless in his first three appearances. But the former US Open champion has looked less and less like a surprising winner after backing up his impressive 2023 clay swing with another set of results at this year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and Mutua Madrid Open, where he reached the third round and quarterfinals, respectively.

“I would say practice and experience,” he said to explain his improved clay-court movement. “Two, three years ago, when I would slide, when I would hit a shot, I would always kind of doubt myself if I've done the right thing, where now I kind of know what I have to do. I just try to do it. If it doesn't work, I'm like, ‘Okay, I try to do better next time.’

“In practice now, we can practice more precisely things we want, where before it was the same: ‘Let's practice this, kind of let's see if it works.’ Last year we kind of found the right exercises, the right movements. We just continued it this year. Again, it's working great. Yeah, I'm happy.”

I don't feel pressure at all. Like, I'm feeling only happy that I won here last year, and I want to do well this year. But maybe it's not the right approach. Maybe I should change it, I don't know! For the moment, I don't want to change it. I like being relaxed. Daniil Medvedev on being the defending champion in Rome

So optimistic is Medvedev about his chances on clay that he couldn’t help but look at Madrid, where he was forced to retire against Jiri Lehecka with an adductor injury, as a missed opportunity.

“I was playing very good. I had good victories,” said Medvedev, who was the highest ranked player left after Carlos Alcaraz exited against eventual champ Andrey Rublev and Jannik Sinner was forced to withdraw due to a hip injury. “Coming to quarters, it's not even disappointed because what happened can happen, that's sports. That's how it is. In a way I lost the match by getting injured. But it's a pity. I would want to see if I could go far without the injury.

“It's okay,” he adds. “I have the chance here.”

Indeed, Medvedev has a chance at redemption in Rome, where Alcaraz and Sinner are again absent from the draw. Instead, the No. 2 seed has to contend with two other nemeses: world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and the fact that he has never defended a title in his career.

“I think I should maybe, I don't know, feel more pressure,” he joked. “Normally, no. But I never defended a title anywhere. Maybe I should feel scared or pressure!”

In typical style, Medvedev proceeds to mix humor with a grounded realism and a touch of the philosophical.

“When I was young someone told me—I find it very good advice—that you cannot defend points,” he explained. “A new year is always a new year. You continue winning points. Now I'm second in the Race. I feel great about it. I want to go better. So even when I lose the thousand points, actually I will probably stay No. 4. By this year's [Race] ranking, I'm still No. 2. If I continue to play good, in the end of the season I can maybe become No. 2 or 3, whatever.

“I don't feel pressure at all. Like, I'm feeling only happy that I won here last year, and I want to do well this year. But maybe it's not the right approach. Maybe I should change it, I don't know! For the moment, I don't want to change it. I like being relaxed. Let's see. Maybe one moment I will have to be more stressed.”

The stress may return in short order as he opens against Jack Draper, but the defending champ is undoubtedly in a comfortable section of the draw through the quarterfinals, where he could end up in a rematch of the 2023 final with Holger Rune.

“It's never easy after injury to get back straightaway to the good level,” said Medvedev. “First match is going to be very important to see where I am. I think if I play good the first match, then I can be in the favorites, yeah.”

A second straight title in Rome? There’d be no joking about that.