World number 10 Daniil Medvedev discussed his feelings ahead of the start of the Madrid Masters.
– How do you feel on the clay? You mentioned having plenty of time to get used to the surface this year.
– Good. Unfortunately, after Monaco, I got food poisoning, caught some kind of virus. I couldn`t train for four or five days, even though I wanted to start preparing right away. But I`m really playing well now, let`s see how it goes.
– Last year you reached the quarterfinals here for the first time and could have potentially won the title if not for the injury. How do you generally find it in Madrid? Is there anything about this particular clay that makes it more comfortable for you?
– I wouldn`t say it`s more comfortable, because my results on other clay tournaments are better. Last year was really a shame because I had three good matches. Just unlucky. I ran for a drop shot and pulled my groin, that`s life. I hope that this year I`ll be physically able to go all the way.
– How do your training sessions with Gilles Cervara help you in searching for a new level? What has changed?
– It`s hard to give a precise answer. There are things you always do. The serve is the same – you go out and hit to zones. It`s difficult to change much there. But there are new shots, or shots we haven`t worked on in a long time. It`s a constant search for improvement.
– Can patience be trained?
– You can train psychology. There are different techniques. Sometimes you can just breathe; that would help me in some moments, but I don`t even have time to think about it. It`s something you build up in practice. It`s a simple example, but in training today I was losing to Khachanov 0-3, and I had to hang in there. I came back and finished the set normally. Patience is very important; it`s definitely a mental thing.
