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[ad_1] LONDON: Daniil Medvedev will head into the Monte Carlo Masters hoping to strike the right balance as the world number four looks to tweak his game for the claycourt swing without compromising on the style that has delivered four titles in 2023. Medvedev has won 18 of his 19 titles, including the 2021 U.S. Open, on hardcourts, the only exception coming at the Mallorca Open when he triumphed on grass the same year. He has been in red-hot form this season having triumphed in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and Miami but the 27-year-old knows clay presents a different challenge for his game. "I definitely have to change my game because my strokes are too flat and clay doesn't let the ball go through the court as much," Medvedev, who plays Lorenzo Sonego or Ugo Humbert first in the ATP 1000 tournament, said. "My opponents can use those (shots against me). "At the same time, you can't change what you do in nine months or a year drastically, so I have to...

[ad_1] INDIAN WELLS: Daniil Medvedev would like nothing more than a return to Wimbledon, but the sixth-ranked Russian isn't getting caught up in reports that the All England Club could rescind its ban of Russian and Belarusian players. The UK's Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) came under pressure from the British government to impose the ban last year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and an eventual ban extended to the grass court Grand Slam at Wimbledon. Britain's Daily Telegraph reported last week that Wimbledon will likely lift the ban, but Medvedev was not building on it when asked at the hard court tournament in Indian Wells. "Same like last year, you know, we hear rumors," he said, adding when asked that he'd heard nothing from organizers and wouldn't expect to. "I know that I'm not someone who's going to make this decision for them or even help them make this decision," Medvedev said. "They have to make it by...

[ad_1] PARIS: Despite finally clinching a first clay court title in his ninth year as a professional, Daniil Medvedev warned Friday that getting too "cocky" will undermine his assault on the French Open. The world number two arrives in Paris after securing his fifth title of 2023, the 20th of his career but first ever on the sport's most demanding surface, in Rome last weekend. With 14-time champion Rafael Nadal absent from Roland Garros for the first time since 2004, Medvedev's name is being mentioned as a possible championship successor to the great Spaniard. "For sure, maybe I have more expectation than I usually had in Roland Garros," the eccentric 27-year-old said. "But I know that it's also tricky and you have to kind of use this confidence, but not get cocky because that's where the danger is. "Sometimes you think, Oh, well, I played so well, now it's going to be easy. Then the first round you have problems. You get...

[ad_1] MELBOURNE: Sebastian Korda says he's "the worst athlete" in his high-achieving sporting family, but with a little help from tennis legend Andre Agassi the rising American is working hard to change the dynamic. The 22-year-old stunned two-time losing finalist and seventh seed Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open on Friday, weeks after pushing Novak Djokovic to the limit in the Adelaide International final. Known as Sebi, his composed performances reflect what has been evident for some time – he is on the rise, and with plenty to live up to in the Korda family. His father Petr is a former world number two who won the Australian Open in 1998 while his mother Regina Rajchrtova was a Czech player who rose to 26 in the world. His older sisters are equally prodigious with Nelly an eight-time winner on the LPGA Tour, current world number two and an Olympic champion. Jessica also opted for golf rather than tennis and she too excelled, winning six titles so ...

[ad_1] LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz takes on Daniil Medvedev on Friday for a place in the Wimbledon final, where history-chasing Novak Djokovic will likely be lying in wait. The Spanish top seed has looked increasingly impressive in his surge to the last four but nobody is betting against Djokovic, who faces eighth-ranked Jannik Sinner. AFP Sport takes a look at the two semi-finals (x denotes seeding – players representing Russia and Belarus are banned from competing under the name or flag of their countries). Jannik Sinner will not have slept easily after last year's painful Wimbledon quarter-final defeat against Novak Djokovic. The Italian was two sets up and on the brink of a career-defining win before the Serbian gave himself a pep talk during a toilet break. Whatever he said to himself certainly worked – he broke early and never looked back, losing just seven games over the last three sets as he romped to victory. Djokovic is within sight of two seismic records – equ...

[ad_1] LONDON: Daniil Medvedev has no doubt that Novak Djokovic is the greatest tennis player in history and the world number three believes the Serbian's ability to conjure up victories even on his bad days sets him apart from the rest. Djokovic claimed a men's record 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open last month to leapfrog Rafa Nadal and go three ahead of another great rival in Roger Federer, with the 36-year-old eyeing an eighth crown at Wimbledon which begins on Monday. Victory in London will leave Djokovic level with Margaret Court on 24 major titles atop the all-time list. "I don't know how does he do it," Medvedev told reporters. "I think if I saw it right, Novak is almost 50%. I think I saw he played 70 majors and 35 (34) he was in the final. I don't know how it is possible. He doesn't have bad days? "Actually, he does, like everybody. Even on these bad days, he manages to beat the opponent. It's actually tough be...