Italian Open champion Daniil Medvedev admits initial doubts over "toughest draw ever"

Daniil Medvedev claimed a remarkable victory in the 2023 Italian Open final, winning his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title, his fifth title of the 2023 season, and his maiden claycourt trophy.

Medvedev defeated Emil Ruusuvuori in straight sets to begin his campaign in Rome. He then secured a comeback victory over Bernabe Zapata Miralles before ousting Alexander Zverev from a Masters 1000 tournament for the third time this season.

After easing past Yannick Hanfmann in the quarterfinals, the former World No. 1 scored his eighth win over Stefanos Tsitsipas to advance to the final. He then defeated Holger Rune 7-5, 7-5 in the final to claim his 20th ATP title.

With his win, Medvedev rose to World No. 2 in the rankings and will thus be the second seed at the upcoming French Open.

In his post-match press conference, Medvedev shed light on the strategic benefits of his position as the second seed. He pointed out the advantage of not having to face Carlos Alcaraz until the final and the possibility of avoiding Novak Djokovic's presence in his half of the draw as well.

"I'm trying to think. The solutions I had, if I would be No. 3, I would definitely play one of Alcaraz or Novak if I am in the semifinal. You definitely have one of them in your draw. I guess it's better to be No. 2 and get the chance. Carlos and I don't play for sure before the final, and Novak maybe 50% chance he's not in your draw. At the same time I haven't been further than quarters in Roland Garros," he said.

The 27-year-old also admitted to initial doubts over his Italian Open draw, claiming it was the "toughest draw" he had ever encountered.

"Is always good to have a good draw, but it's better to just play good and try to win it because I will be honest," he added. "When I saw my draw here, I think I was in the car, was it in Madrid or already here in Rome, I was with my wife, maybe one other tennis player or a friend, and I was looking at my draw. I was like, Wow, that must be the toughest draw I have ever seen for me."

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Daniil Medvedev extends Race to ATP Finals lead with Italian Open triumph

Daniil Medvedev celebrates his Italian Open triumph

With his Italian Open victory, Daniil Medvedev has extended his lead in the Race to the ATP Finals. With 4,300 points to his name this season, the World No. 2 leads Carlos Alcaraz (3,445) by 845 points and third-ranked Novak Djokovic (2,745) by 1,555 points.

Stefanos Tsitsipas (2,590) and Jannik Sinner (2,275) follow close behind, in the fourth and fifth spots respectively. If the ATP Finals were to be held today, Andrey Rublev (2,215), Holger Rune (2,125), and Taylor Fritz (1,825) would round out the lineup for the event.