Daniil Medvedev is an "honest" person who will admit when he's wrong, says Justine Henin

Daniil Medvedev may not be the best tennis player when it comes to on-court conduct, but his ability to put up his hand and admit whenever he is wrong makes him likable, says seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin.

The fifth-ranked Russian was in the headlines last week after his third-round clash with Alexander Zverev at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters.

Medvedev saved two match points to beat the 16th-ranked German 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7). In a press conference after the match, Zverev complained about his opponent leaving the court for a bathroom break in the third set and questioned his sportsmanship. In response, the 2021 US Open champion asked Zverev to look in the mirror before accusing others of gamesmanship.

Speaking to Eurosport, former World No. 1 Henin stated that she would like to see the two players talk to each other and sort things out. The 40-year-old also praised Medvedev for apologizing to Diego Schwartzman over a past tussle.

“We know Daniil admits he’s human, sometimes he’s not perfect," Henin said. "He talked about Diego Schwartzman, I think it’s more serious with Zverev. Daniil can sometimes get frustrated, and upset, and we don’t understand. He’s original, it’s how he expresses his feelings. I don’t want to blame him, it’s not that bad. We like him as a player, his personality."

Henin remarked that although she didn't always like Medvedev's behavior on the court, she liked him for always being honest.

“Sometimes he likes to play with the opponent, with the umpire, the crowd, and sometimes his team,” she added. “Sometimes I don’t like what Daniil is doing on the court but he always keeps smiling. But what I like about him is he’s an honest person, and he will say, ‘I was wrong'.”

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Daniil Medvedev content with his performance at Monte-Carlo Masters 2023

Daniil Medvedev in action at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters.

Clay is Daniil Medvedev's least favorite surface and he has always been vocal about it. Yet to win a title on the red dirt, the Russian lost to Holger Rune in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters last week. However, he was happy with his performance and stated that was looking forward to the rest of the clay season.

“It was not bad. I beat good players on clay,” he said. “Yesterday evening (against Zverev) was magic. It was very tough on clay. It’s not easy to win matches like this. He (Rune) played very well. I could have played a bit better, but if we talk about clay again, I’m not as at ease as he is on clay. So overall, it’s very positive.”

“There are other big tournaments coming up. We’ll see what I do there, but I’m very happy with this tournament in Monte Carlo,” he added.

Daniil Medvedev has had a great start to the year, having won titles in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, and Miami with a win-loss record of 31-4.