Sam Querrey Predicts Daniil Medvedev's Grass-Court Revival Following French Open Exit

Daniil Medvedev's recent performance at the French Open has raised eyebrows, especially after his unexpected first-round loss to Adam Walton, who is ranked 900th in the world. Medvedev's defeat, marked by scores of 2-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-1, 4-6, highlights a series of surprising outcomes at this year's tournament, where he had previously shown promise by nearly defeating Jannik Sinner in Rome.

As the tennis world shifts its focus to the grass season, former player Sam Querrey has expressed optimism for Medvedev's potential resurgence. During a discussion on the 'Nothing Major' podcast alongside John Isner and Steve Johnson, Querrey remarked, "He’s been streaky; he’s been good at times. He hit like an all-time low at Roland Garros, losing to [Adam] Walton." He added, "But he’s going to bounce back. Give me Meddy to win a warm-up tournament on grass and then pop like a semi at Wimbledon, that’s kind of what I’m expecting from him."

Medvedev boasts a grass title from Mallorca in 2021, where he bested Querrey in the final. Since then, he has reached three additional finals but has yet to secure another trophy, falling short in Rosmalen and Halle in 2022 and 2025. His Wimbledon history is somewhat mixed; while he made it to the semi-finals in two of the last three years, he also experienced a shocking early exit last year.

Querrey's podcast co-host, Steve Johnson, took a different stance, suggesting another player, Learner Tien, could shine on grass this season. Johnson defended his choice, stating, “You’ve got to pick someone off the beaten path; I don’t want to pick [Ben] Shelton!” However, Querrey was less enthusiastic about Tien's prospects, ultimately selecting him as his 'sell' pick for the grass courts.

Tien had a respectable performance last season, reaching the quarter-finals in Mallorca before bowing out in the second round at Wimbledon. His grass-court campaign for this year will kick off at the Halle Open, starting June 15th.