'Rafa played quite well, much better than what I saw in Rome and Madrid,' Daniil Medvedev thinks Rafael Nadal is match-ready at Roland Garros after losing to him in practice

Zverev is just returning from his Rome exploit in which he won the Italian Open title. The 27-year-old had the best forehand strikes in Rome and has reached the semifinals of three tournaments this season. On the other hand, Nadal’s only best run this season was in Brisbane in January and Madrid, where he reached the round of 16.

Nevertheless, it is hard to write Rafael Nadal off, as he is the record winner of the French Open with 14 titles to his name. That has led Medvedev to issue a strong warning ahead of the Nadal and Zverev match on Sunday. The Russian revealed that he is happy not to play him in the first round.

I would say that really if you face him in the third or fourth round now that he has no ranking, it seems normal that it is something that could happen. The first round would be tough against someone who has won 14 titles here, but it could be an interesting combination. I trained with Rafa yesterday and he played quite well, much better than what I saw in Rome and Madrid. But training and playing a match is different. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm happy not to be the one playing with him in the first round. Daniil Medvedev said via putondebreak

Hopefully, Nadal can open the doors for a miracle when he plays the German on Sunday.

Daniil Medvedev hopeful of getting past the first round of the Roland Garros

Daniil Medvedev hopes to get past the first round of the French Open if he can win the title. The Russian will play Dominik Koepfer in the first round as he hopes to get the better of the German.

The Russian has always had a hard time in clay courts. Safe to say, the Roland Garros has never been kind to him.

At Roland Garros if I go first round, I start to play well and I can achieve good results, but many times I have lost in the first round. So it is a great motivation to advance, a great step to gain sensations and play better and better. Daniil Medvedev said via puntodebreak

Medvedev lost to Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild in the first round of the 2023 French Open. He was the favorite to win the match having just won the Italian Open, but lost in a five-set thriller.