MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. Russia’s top tennis player Daniil Medvedev reached Round 3 of the 2024 ATP Masters in Monte Carlo after defeating on Wednesday Gael Monfils of France.
In a match that lasted for over 1 hour and 28 minutes Russia’s 4th-seed Medvedev, who is playing at the tournament under a neutral status, defeated his unseeded French opponent in straight sets 6-2; 6-4.
"When you play Gael he is very good in defense, so sometimes you are scared to attack him because that is what he loves doing," the tournament’s official website quoted Medvedev as saying after the match against Monfils.
"It was a tactical game here and there but I felt good. I played good speed where I could defend well and not give him two easy balls," the Russian tennis player added.
Medvedev is now set to face off against his compatriot Karen Khachanov (15th-seed), who defeated earlier in the day Francisco Cerundolo from Argentina in a match that lasted for more than two hours and 16 minutes (4-6; 6-4; 6-3).
Speaking about his next match against Khachanov, Medvedev said: "I think Karen likes [clay] more but I can play well on clay."
"…I can play well on it and I am happy about it," he said about playing on clay courts. "But Karen is a tough opponent,"
Medvedev, 28, is currently fourth in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Rankings. In 2022, the top Russian racket spent sixteen weeks as the number one player in the world. He is the 2021 US Open Champion and has 20 ATP tournament titles under his belt. He won five of these 20 titles in 2023. Also, in 2021, he won the Davis Cup as well as the ATP Cup playing for the Russian national team.
Monfils, 37, is in the 40th place of the ATP Rankings list and he is the winner of 12 ATP tournaments. Playing at the Grand Slam tournaments, Monfils reached the semifinals rounds at the 2008 French Open and the 2016 US Open.
The 2024 ATP Masters Monte Carlo tennis tournament is played on outdoor clay courts between April 7 and 14 and offers over $6.4 million in prize money. The reigning champion of the tournament is Russia’s Andrey Rublev.
Russian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments
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.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) ruled on March 1, 2022 to suspend the membership of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis federations while also canceling all previously scheduled tennis tournaments in the two countries.
On March 14, 2022, the ITF also confirmed its prohibition of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis teams from the 2022 Davis Cup and 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.
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.