Daniil Medvedev will begin his 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters campaign with a match against Gael Monfils, who bested him the last time they played.
It's been a while since the Russian has played on clay, and it's always interesting. In recent times, he has put a lot of effort into becoming tolerant of the surface, and it worked out.
He's become less frustrated on it and started to play really well. He won the Italian Open last year, which is an ATP Masters 1000 event on clay, and people expect him to do even better in the future.
Monfils is certainly a player he should beat on this surface, even though the Frenchman is a former French Open semi-finalist. He even made the final in Monte Carlo many years ago but was unable actually to win the trophy.
He's played pretty well recently but struggled a lot in the first round, barely escaping against Aleksandar Vukic. That's not promising ahead of the match with Medvedev.
Head-to-head:
Monfils and Medvedev have played three times so far, and Monfils won two of those matches. The most recent meeting happened at the 2022 Indian Wells Open just after Medvedev became world number one.
Monfils bested him in three sets, which was a very impressive win. Can he do it again? Technically, yes, but I'm not too hopeful after seeing how much Vukic troubled Monfils.
Medvedev will play his first match on clay, and while some struggles might be expected, I think he should have enough to win the match.
| Daniil Medvedev | Gael Monfils | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | H2H | 2 |
| 4 | Rank | 40 |
| 28 | Age | 37 |
| 18-4 | 2024 W/L | 12-9 |
| 351-140 | Career W/L | 552-323 |
Prediction:
Overall, I think Medvedev will find a way to beat Monfils because he's the better player. I'm not sure Monfils can hit through him on clay. It seems unlikely, so I'll back Medvedev to win in three sets.
Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in three sets.
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