Daniil Medvedev aims to draw inspiration from fellow Russian Maria Sharapova in conquering clay courts upon assessing his inefficiency on the surface

Daniil Medvedev acknowledged that his performances on clay courts have been sub-standard and to move past his issues on the surface, the Russian revealed that he will take inspiration from compatriot Maria Sharapova.

Sharapova did not enjoy playing on clay courts in the early parts of her career. However, the former World No. 1 managed to overcome her troubles on the surface with time as she even went on to win two French Open titles, the most for her across all Grand Slams.

Similarly, Medvedev feels that he can follow in Sharapova's footsteps and could also end up dominating tournaments on clay.

“True, I forgot about that. Yes [I can be inspired by Sharapova's journey],” said the World No. 7 in a conversation with Eurosport.

The Russian divulged that his inefficiency on clay was mainly due to inadequate off-the-ball movement. He observed that he often slides after taking the shot rather than before the shot.

"And that’s true, I never was able to move really well on clay. I slide not before the shot, but after the shot, because I don’t know, maybe I’m scared or something," he asserted.

Reflecting on his excellent performance on the hard courts of Doha at the Qatar Open, Medvedev's coach Gilles Cervara conveyed that the Russian would be "unbeatable" if he played the same way on clay.

"In Doha, the [hard] court was really slow, probably one of the slowest, together with Rotterdam a few years back. And my wife told me that my coach Gilles was watching me play, and I was running everywhere, doing lobs, returning smashes, and he was like, ‘Damn, if Daniil could move well on clay, I think he would be unbeatable," said Medvedev.

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"I’m sure I can be even bigger on clay" - Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev at the Dubai Tennis Championships - Day Thirteen

Daniil Medvedev is hopeful of improving his performance on clay courts. He maintains that his abilities in the dirt just fades off whenever he takes a break from playing on that surface.

“Of course I’m trying to work on it. I’m sure I can be even bigger on clay, I just need a really good day, or basically two weeks, which on hard courts sometimes I can be off a few days and still win and then get back into the rhythm,” stated the Russian.

Daniil Medvedev is currently taking part in the Dubai Tennis Championships. He will face off against Andrey Rublev in the final of the tournament on Saturday, March 4.