World No. 11 Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev shared his thoughts on a recent practice session with World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the Rome Masters.
Asked about training with Carlos Alcaraz the previous day, described as an intense session, Medvedev was questioned on how the practice was arranged and what benefits come from training with top-ranked opponents.
“The coaches arrange it,” Medvedev responded. “And actually, it seems the situation here is that there are quite few courts available for practice, as far as I understand. At certain times, you can`t practice with your designated sparring partner. And he [Alcaraz] was apparently alone at that moment, I was alone, so they put us together. Rather, it turns out it wasn`t even the coaches who connected us, but simply there`s a sign-up board for practices, and people sign up there.”
“But overall, of course, we had a great practice. We only played four games afterwards, we hit the ball really well, and I feel in good shape now. We were both hitting hard, it was fun, and of course, it`s always nice to play with top players, there`s nothing more to add.”
Medvedev also commented on his upcoming fourth-round match against Italian Lorenzo Musetti at the Rome tournament.
Asked about his potential opponent in the fourth round, either Brandon Nakashima or Lorenzo Musetti: “What can you say about them?”
“I just played Nakashima in Madrid, so I know how I`ll play against him, and he surely knows how to play against me. Of course, the court here is different. But overall, I see that Musetti is winning.”
[Note: At the time of the interview, Musetti`s match was ongoing – editor`s note]
Medvedev added: “He`s in good form. He`s a pure clay-court player, so it will be an interesting challenge. I need to show my best tennis to try and secure the win.”
Marcus Blakely 
Gilbert Pendleton