That week of preparation was boosted by former Roland Garros quarter-finalist Igor Andreev joining Medvedev in Caen for clay season preparation alongside his regular coach Gilles Cervara.
“Yes, I think he helped a lot. But then again, if you give me too much advice, I get blocked and I cannot play anymore. But he is a very calm person, and he gives the advice that is necessary,” said Medvedev, reflecting on the training with his compatriot.
“He's not giving too much, just a precise level of advice I need. So, it's been a very good week with him, and he's not here because he’s the captain at Fed Cup. But with Gilles, they made a very good team.”
The Russian is tricky to face
The 23-year-old broke the world No.1 five times on Friday to overturn a 0-3 record against the reigning Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion in an enthralling two hours, 20 minutes battle.
"He played worse than he did the times before and also I'm getting more experienced. I'm starting to make these top guys know that it's tough to play against me," declared Medvedev.
Djokovic echoed that sentiment, revealing why the Russian is so tricky to face.
“Well, he's got a very solid backhand. He doesn't make many mistakes from the backhand. He hits it very low with depth,” said the top seed.
“He doesn't give you much rhythm. He's got a big serve. His forehand can be effective… but he improved his movement a lot since last year. He definitely deserves to be where he is.”