Daniil Medvedev backed 172nd-ranked Thiago Seyboth Wild to crack the year-end top 30 after experiencing a shock French Open first-round exit at the hands of the Brazilian on Tuesday.
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As for the exciting Russian, he’s just happy to put another roller-coaster clay court season behind him.
“Every time it finishes I’m happy,” said the world number two after losing to Seyboth Wild, who went through the qualifiers and has never won a Grand Slam match, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 ( 6 /8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
It was Medvedev’s fifth loss in the opening round of Roland Garros in seven appearances.
“I’ve had a clay mouth since maybe the third game of the game, and I don’t like it. I don’t know if people want to eat clay, with clay in their bags, in their shoes, the socks, white. socks, you can throw them in the trash after the season on the ground.
“Maybe there are people who like it. I don’t. I’m glad it’s over,” added Medvedev, who arrived in Paris buoyed by winning his first clay court title at the prestigious Italian Open last week for in his fifth trophy in 2023.
Seyboth Wild, 23, fired 69 winners past the Russian. Had he not squandered two set points in the second set, he could have ended the match earlier than the four hours and 15 minutes of the tie.
“I was cramping in the second set and just couldn’t serve the way I wanted,” said the Brazilian, who hasn’t won on the main tour since February 2022 until Tuesday.
Seyboth Wild previously played only one Slams match at the US Open in 2020. Other than that brief ray of light, he tried and failed eight times to qualify for the majors.
Medvedev believes the Brazilian can use Tuesday’s victory for a launchpad to the big time.
“If he continues to play like that, in my opinion, by the end of the year, he will be in the top 30,” Medvedev said.
“I honestly hope he plays like this later, because if he doesn’t, I’ll be disappointed. I’m like, why now? Why not in two days?”
Harry Potter fans
“His life will be better if he plays like this every match. He will get a lot of money, a lot of sponsors, win big titles. But he has to play like this. in different tournaments around the world throughout the year .”
In a tense final set on Tuesday, Seyboth Wild twice saw the Russian take breaks before he held on for the third break with 5-3.
He held his nerve to take the win with two giant forehands and will face either Guido Pella or Quentin Halys for a place in the last 32.
Seyboth Wild was the US Open junior champion in 2018 and when he won his only professional title in Santiago two years later at the age of 19, he became the first ATP champion born in the 2000s.
But off the court, he endured controversy.
He was the first pro tennis player to reveal a Covid diagnosis in 2020 while in 2021 he was reportedly under investigation for abuse by a former girlfriend. He denied the allegations, describing them as “fabricated and vindictive”.
On Tuesday, he was again pressed for claims.
“I don’t think it’s a topic we should talk about right here. I don’t think it’s a question you should ask anybody,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s up to you to decide whether it’s a place to talk or not.”
A dedicated Harry Potter fan, Seyboth Wild boasts tattoos of the Golden Snitch from Quidditch, Hermione’s eyes and even Hedwig’s owl head on his body.
But he insisted that there was no magic in his victory.
“Work hard. It’s not magic. It’s not something you do for nothing. It’s just hard work and effort that you put in every day,” he explained.
(AFP)
