MOSCOW, May 18. /TASS/. Russia’s Daniil Medvedev reached the semifinals round of the 2023 ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Italian Open cruising past Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann with straight sets win of 6-2, 6-2.

The 2023 ATP 1000 Italian Open is a clay court event that takes place at the Foro Italico sports complex in Rome and offers over 7.7 million euros (some $8.4 million) in prize money.

"I said before the tournament I was feeling really great in practice," ATP’s official website quoted Medvedev as saying after his win over Germany’s Hanfmann.

"It is always a danger to say this if you lose the first round and you think, 'Why did I say this'. But I am feeling great," Medvedev continued.

"I knew I had to put as many balls into the court as possible because he plays aggressively," Medvedev said about his German opponent. "There aren't going to be many points where you dictate, it will be mainly him."

"But what you have to do is play deep and try and make him miss," Medvedev stated. "Maybe he [Hanfmann] didn't play his best match but that is how it works, you can't play your best match every day and I am happy I could neutralize his attacking style."

Medvedev has not seen a lot of success on clay in the past, but is looking to continue his strong play this year and win his fifth ATP title this season, following hard-court triumphs in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and Miami.

The 27-year old from Russia is currently ranked 3rd in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Rankings. In 2022, he was the number one ranked tennis player in the world for 16 weeks. He is the 2021 US Open Champion in addition to being the winner of 19 ATP tournaments. Also in 2021, he won the Davis Cup playing for the Russian national team and won the ATP Cup.

Russian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments

In line with international tennis regulations, Russian tennis players are participating in the tournament under a neutral status.

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

However, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) allowed tennis players from Russia and Belarus to continue participating in WTA and ATP tournaments, but only under a neutral status.