He arrived on Monday, quietly by car from Monte Carlo. " It's easier to organise, prepare and deliverDaniil Medvedev was delighted. On Monday morning, I was training at my club in Cannes and in the evening I was there. So you feel a bit at home. "
The Russian had not been back to Marseille since 2017. Three years ago, Gilles Cervara's protégé, who speaks almost perfect French, reached the quarter-finals. This time, however, he is about to start his tournament as the number one seed. " I don't really think about thathe explained. I don't put any pressure on myself with this status. All I want is to play well. That's the most important thing. "
Play well and move on. Daniil Medvedev, now in the top five in the world, is coming off an opening loss in Rotterdam. This is exactly what he wants to avoid today in Marseille against the promising Italian Jannik Sinner. " It's never easy when you arrive at a tournamentMedvedev continued. You never know how it will go. Sinner is playing well but I think that when you are young, it is sometimes more difficult to remain consistent over a whole match. Nevertheless, it's not an easy draw. He's very strong, maybe one day he'll be top ten or even number one. So I have to focus on myself and my game. "It's worth the effort as the winner of this match will earn a ticket to the quarter-finals.
David Goffin, another top seed in the draw, also takes the court today. The Belgian, seeded third, will face qualifier Egor Gerasimov. " My tennis is hereGoffin was delighted. I play well in training. Even though I've had two average indoor tournaments recently, I don't need much to find my rhythm here. I hope to be here again next weekend! "
Two Frenchmen on the track in singles
Among the other players in the running this Thursday, Gilles Simon is up against the surprising Aljaz Bedene. Late on Tuesday evening, the Slovenian had won the head of Karen Khachanov, winner of the tournament in 2018. But Gilou does not intend to let him repeat his performance. The two-time Marseille winner, now 35, will have to find ways to counter the ardour of this discreet but dangerous opponent, who scored 18 aces against Khachanov.
Marin Cilic and Denis Shapovalov will also be vying for a ticket to the quarter-finals. Marin Cilic, the former world number 3, has lost two finals in his last two appearances, in 2011 and 2016. Shapo, on the other hand, is returning for the third time to Marseille, where he has never won a match.
Finally, Herbert, a first-round winner over 2019 finalist Mikhail Kukushkin, faces Felix Auger-Aliassime. The two players met recently in Montpellier. Advantage Herbert. To be confirmed!
