The Russian Daniil Medvedev, third seed, won his first tournament on clay this Sunday by beating the Danish Holger Rune (world number 7) 7-5, 7-5 in the final of the Masters 1000 in Rome.
Medvedev, in whose title in the so-called Eternal City few trusted after he began his career without having won a single game in his three previous appearances, won the twentieth title of his career, 18 of which were achieved on hard surfaces and one on grass.
With this title, the Russian will become number 2 in the world on Monday, ahead of Novak Djokovic, in a classification that will be dominated by the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz, which will be important for the Roland Garros teams, which begins in one week.
In the second final of his career on clay, after the loss in Barcelona in 2019, the 27-year-old Medvedev taught his 20-year-old rival, Djokovic’s executioner in the quarterfinals, a lesson.
“I hated clay, now I sure like it a little more,” joked the Russian, who had always lost in his first match in his three previous appearances in Rome, in 2018, 2019 and 2021.