Medvedev: "Tennis has changed in the last five years, I find it hard to get into the rhythm"

Fernando Murciego | 26 May 2026 | 16.23

Medvedev: "Tennis has changed in the last five years, I find it hard to find the rhythm." Source: Getty

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Daniil Medvedev said goodbye to Roland Garros 2026 in the worst possible way: early and leaving feelings of tremendous vulnerability. Another chapter of disappointment in Paris.

It is difficult to explain Daniil Medvedev's recent reality in Grand Slams. Out of the last five he has competed in, he has been knocked out in the first round in four, a disgrace where the Russian's bad attitude weighed more than the merit of his opponents. Today at Roland Garros, it was against Adam Walton, a man who had won only three official matches on clay in his entire career. Yet, the Australian, from complete inexperience, managed to take a fifth set from the Moscow native, although later, in the press conference, he tried to downplay this stumble as normal.

Medvedev assesses his defeat in Roland Garros 2026

“It wasn’t an easy match, I didn’t play my best tennis. He played well at times and not so well at others, while I managed to capitalize when his level dropped. That’s it, I couldn’t raise my level enough to win the whole match, so I lost. I don’t want to make excuses, I know why I don’t usually play my best tennis at Roland Garros, but if I say it, it would be excuses. So, I keep it to myself”.

Was the heat the cause of everything?

“No, I don’t think so. I felt fine with the heat. I mean, it’s not easy for anyone to play in this heat, but I felt fine. In general, I felt we were ‘cool’, especially in the fifth set, where we were still running and all that. Nobody had cramps or anything like that, so I don’t think the heat influenced it, except that playing with heat on clay is a bit different, but that’s normal”.

A matter of conditions

“Each tournament has a different court, different balls, and other conditions. Also, I can be different every day. I don’t like getting up early and I usually perform worse when I wake up at 6:15 in the morning, I like to sleep more. These are the little things; in tennis, you need to adapt and sometimes I’m not good enough at adapting, although other times I am. That’s basically all I can say”.

Daniil Medvedev blames modern tennis for his poor performance

“My tennis depends on a couple of things that I cannot control. If the ball is not running, I don’t have the power to make it run like Jannik. He doesn’t care. If the ball is not running, he hits with maximum power anyway. If it runs, he adjusts a bit and doesn’t need to hit as hard. I hit hard, and if the ball doesn’t run, well, it doesn’t. I know I am in good shape, and I can also play well at Roland Garros, I really can do it, just that it’s harder for me, and the early rounds are usually more difficult, but I will always come here. Maybe I should consider playing a tournament before, something I usually don't do before Grand Slams. When something doesn’t work, why not change it? That’s the only thing I will consider for next year”.

Slump in Grand Slams, but he doesn’t lose faith

“I feel that I am still generally good in Grand Slams. Yes, now I can lose in the first round, but I don’t think I have lost the ability to perform in Grand Slams. I think that can come back at any time, for example at Wimbledon. But speaking in general about the four Grand Slams, I think the game has changed from five years ago, and I don’t feel that favors me; now it's very difficult for me to find rhythm. The first round is the toughest, and once I get past that, maybe I can do better”.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Medvedev: “El tenis ha cambiado desde hace cinco años, me cuesta mucho encontrar el ritmo”