'It's funny to see me ranked in front of Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo,' said Daniil Medvedev

World no. 2 and the 2019 Monte Carlo semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev will not compete at the season's second Masters 1000 event in the Principality after testing positive for the coronavirus.

In his pre-event press conference, Daniil said he doesn't like clay that much, although he was ready to give his best and repeat the result from two years ago when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the quarters. Also, Daniil admitted it is funny to see himself seeded above Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo, where the Spaniard claimed ten titles or more.

On March 15, Daniil became only the fifth active top-2 player after Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray, joining the exclusive list and also becoming the fifth player with 10,000 ATP points since 2009.

"Yeah, talking about Rafa, I mean, it's just funny because, well, I'm not the best clay-court player. But I'm seeded higher than him in Monte Carlo, which he won maybe ten times or more, I'm not sure. It's probably not going to mean anything during the tournament, but let's see. Actually don't even know if he's in my part of the draw or in Novak's. That can make a huge semifinal if he's in Novak's part," Daniil Medvedev said.