Daniil Medvedev one of the favorites for French Open now but Novak Djokovic remains main man to beat, feels Holger Rune

Holger Rune lost his second Masters 1000 final of the year on Sunday, falling to Daniil Medvedev in the title bout of the 2023 Italian Open. The 5-7, 5-7 defeat comes months after the Dane lost 7-5, 2-6, 5-7 to Andrey Rublev in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Speaking to the press after the loss in Rome, the 20-year-old was asked about his thoughts on the favorite for the upcoming French Open. Naturally, Rune picked the experienced Novak Djokovic as the man to beat, followed by Carlos Alcaraz.

"I still think Novak is the main favorite for the event. He's the one with the most slams of who's playing, the most experience. Then we have Alcaraz. We have Medvedev. We have a lot of guys. I think if I have to pick one favorite, I'll probably pick Novak," Holger Rune said.

At the same time, Holger Rune maintained that Medvedev should also be in the mix for the Roland Garros title now, opining that the Russian has been steadily improving on clay throughout the season.

"But again, it's more open because we don't have Rafa this year who has won 14 times or something like this. For sure [Medvedev] has been showing good signs in this clay season, playing better and better. Yeah, for sure, I mean, I think he's one of the favorites," Rune said.

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"Paris is the main goal of the clay season" - Holger Rune

Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2023 - Day Fourteen

As for his own chances at the French Open, Holger Rune admitted that it was his main goal and feels that he has played enough matches on clay this year to be able to mount a serious challenge.

"My feeling right now is obviously not the best. Also I have to look at it's been a good clay season so far for me. I made three finals out of four tournaments. In that way I can't complain. As many of you guys know me now, I'm a very eager person to win titles. I've been close to. Hopefully I will learn from it," Holger Rune said.

"But yeah, I mean, Paris is the main goal of the clay season. I think I had the matches that I needed to be as well-prepared as possible. Now it is the last small things I want to do better the next time I stay in these big matches," he added.

The Dane will be seeded in the top 8 at Roland Garros and will most likely be meeting the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.