In Rome, Medvedev reassures: "I feel fine now".

The Italian tournament can breathe a sigh of relief. After a number of major withdrawals (Sinner, Alcaraz, Berrettini, Lehecka, Humbert...), it was still unclear whether defending champion Daniil Medvedev would take part. Indeed, the world number 4 had to withdraw from his quarter-final in Madrid, and there was no certainty that he would be able to compete in Rome.

As he begins the defense of his crown against Jack Draper (ranked 40th in the world), the Russian gave some reassuring news about his state of health: "I feel fine now. I had a minor injury, I'd say. I had three days' rest in Madrid, then I arrived in Rome and had a chance to train, and now I'm ready to play. Normally, there's no risk of the injury getting worse, so I'm going to play and see how it goes." (Interview at the press conference).

Medvedev also took the opportunity to talk to the press about his progress. Long hampered by tennis on ochre, he now seems to have a much better grasp of the surface: "Two or three years ago, when I slipped, when I hit a shot, I always wondered if I'd done the right thing, whereas now I know what I have to do. I just try to do it. [...] Last year, we found the right exercises, the right movements. We've continued this year. Once again, it's going very well. Yes, I'm happy."