Daniil Medvedev aspires to be in "very good" form ahead of Monte-Carlo clash with Alexander Zverev

Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev has discussed his upcoming match against rival Alexander Zverev at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Medvedev, the winner of four hard-court titles this year, continued his brilliant start to the season with a win over Lorenzo Sonego on a surface where he has not had much success in the past. He defeated the Italian in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.

In his post-match press conference, Daniil Medvedev said that he felt in control during the match, giving him confidence heading into the clash with Zverev.

"On clay it's much more difficult for me to feel the game. After the match, it's difficult for me to say if I played well or not, but I was told I played well, and the score was okay with me," Medvedev said.

"I felt in control during the match. I'm very happy. This makes me confident for the next match. It's going to be a tough one. It's going to be a big test against Zverev, so I'm happy today," he added.

The former World No. 1 is well aware of Zverev's credentials on clay and knows he'll have to be "very good" to beat the German.

"Well, there are other players. Tsitsipas won twice here, but indeed we had many big matches, Sascha and I. Sometimes when one of us wins, he goes to the final or wins the tournament," Daniil Medvedev said.

"So we had big battles and I know he likes clay, so I will need to be very good tomorrow to try to beat him," he added.

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"Personally, I'm happy when the clay season is over" - Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev pictured at the 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters - Day Four.

Daniil Medvedev went on to discuss the nuances of playing on clay. The Russian, well known for his dislike of the surface, candidly admitted that he would be "happy" once the clay season concluded.

"You need to play differently. You need to find different angles, play higher, the serve is different. Also, because there are bad bounces, even if an opponent doesn't serve so hard, you can have trouble returning," Medvedev said.

"There are many little things you have to adjust. It's a different style of tennis, and once again, I know that it is normal that we have that in tennis, it wouldn't be normal to play 12 months a year on hard courts. But personally, I'm happy when the clay season is over. But once again, I will try to do well anyway," he added.

Medvedev and Zverev will square off on Thursday (April 13).