What’s next for Medvedev after his shocking French Open upset?

After 4 hours, 15 minutes, and five agonizing sets, Daniil Medvedev needed just seconds to pack up his bag and find his way off the court at Philippe Chatrier.

He had just become the first top-two seed in a men’s draw at a major to lose in the opening round since 2003, and the first at the French Open since 2000, with a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Thiago Seyboth Wild, a qualifier ranked No. 172 in the world. It was not how Medvedev envisioned his time in Paris.

“For sure I’m really disappointed,” Medvedev told reporters after the match. “I’m going to be one week thinking about this match, but for the moment I don’t see anything wrong I did. I mean, double faults, the wind was crazy today, so it was not easy.”

The 27-year-old had arrived at Roland Garros brimming with confidence and playing the best tennis of his career on clay. Medvedev won his first title on the surface at the Italian Open, a Masters 1000-level event, less than two weeks ago. During his news conference Friday, he said he felt “amazing” and had “more expectations” for himself than usual at the tournament because of his success in Rome. He was even a betting favorite at the event for the first time.

But that all came to a crashing halt Tuesday. Seyboth Wild never eased up, even when he began cramping in the second set, and refused to back down, even in a roller-coaster deciding set.

“I’m not going to look at it back on TV but my feeling was that he played well,” Medvedev said. “You know, I don’t think I played that bad, but he played well. … [It’s] great for him to play like this today. I honestly hope he’s going to play like this later on, because if not, I’m going to be disappointed. I’m going to be like, ‘Why today? Why not in two days?'”

It was the first major main draw victory for Seyboth Wild. He’ll next face Guido Pella in the second round Thursday. Medvedev will be long gone by then and deciding what to do next. He just reclaimed the No. 2 ranking following his victory in Rome, and now could be surpassed by the end of the fortnight.

It might be a long few months for Medvedev before the tour heads back to the hard court.

While he has historically been slightly better on grass than clay, Medvedev isn’t exactly known for his prowess on that surface either. He won the title in Mallorca, a 250-level tournament, in 2021, and reached the finals at the Libema Open and the Halle Open in 2022. He had his best result at Wimbledon with…