Daniil Medvedev is back in the semifinals of the Italian Open after a frustrating period of slump. Ahead of his highly anticipated showdown against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Medvedev opened up about his tactics, covering them in his trademark dry humor at the press conference.
Daniil Medvedev Jokes About Strategy to Force Jannik Sinner’s Loss at the Rome Masters
Medvedev, the 2023 Rome champion, has remained a consistent fixture at the top of the sport, though he has occasionally battled frustrating mid-match momentum swings against the surging young pros of the ATP. However, his 2026 campaign has been better.
On the clay courts of Rome, he navigated a tricky draw and survived a quarterfinal against rising Spanish star Martin Landaluce (1-6, 6-4, 7-5) on Thursday to secure his spot in the final four.
When a reporter asked Medvedev what his strategy would be against Sinner, the Russian immediately pointed to Landaluce’s opening-set masterclass.
“Very easy: to play like Martin played the first set, go full power and every ball on the line,” Medvedev deadpanned.
“It’s a small joke, but in a way to beat Jannik, you need to play your best tennis, which we’re not crazy, I’m not going to touch the line on every shot,” Medvedev admitted. “You need to have a good day so that your shots are working, your serve is working, you put him under pressure. It’s not easy to do this kind of stuff.”
There’s no denying the immense pressure Sinner places on his opponents. The Italian enters the semifinal riding a historic 32-match winning streak at the Masters 1000 level, and if he wins Rome, he will be the first player to win six consecutive ATP 1000 titles.
Other players have recently echoed this sentiment. Alexander Zverev has been controversially vocal about Sinner being in the top tier above everyone, including Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Italian wildcard Andrea Pellegrino, who faced Sinner in the Round of 16 in Rome, described facing the world No. 1 as playing against a machine that simply doesn’t give you time to breathe.
But despite the locker room chatter and pessimistic notion, Medvedev remains confident. Channeling a recent quote from his close friend and fellow top-tier player, Andrey Rublev, Medvedev maintained a pragmatic outlook ahead of the clash.
“Again, it’s tennis, it’s sports, everything is possible,” Medvedev noted. “He’s losing much less than he’s winning. As my friend Andrey said, ‘he’s going to lose at one moment.’ When I step on the court, I will try to make him lose the next match.”
Medvedev and Sinner are scheduled to play in the semifinals on Friday, May 15, at 1 p.m. ET.
