Daniil Medvedev admits he 'was not totally confident' during French Open win over Laslo Dere

Daniil Medvedev's quest for a second Grand Slam title continued on Thursday, with the Russian star cruising to a straight set victory in the second round of the French Open.

The 26-year-old was pitted against Serbia's Laslo Dere in the second round, and sealed a 6-3 6-4 6-3 victory in just over two and a half hours of action.

Next up for the tournament's second seed is another Serbian challenger, with Miomir Kecmanovic awaiting him in the third round, with their clash scheduled for Saturday.

But while the scoreline suggested an easy afternoon's work for Medvedev, the Russian star was quick to point out that he struggled throughout on the clay court.

Luckily for Medvedev though, Dere endured a frustrating match which saw the Serb make a whopping 65 unforced errors.

Had the 26-year-old taken more of his chances on Thursday afternoon, he could've upset the odds and sent Medvedev packing.

"I think Lazlo was playing better clay court tennis, it was a tough natch, and I am happy to win," said Medvedev.

"I don't know if it was cramp but I tried to make him play more balls. He makes a mistake or makes a winner some time. I was not totally confident. It was definitely not easy."

Medvedev has struggled on clay throughout his career, but is closing in on a career-highest finish in the French Open, with his quarter-final exit in 2021 his best run in the tournament so far.

It's the only Grand Slam in which Medvedev has lost more games than he's won, with the Russian only boasting a 44% win rate in Paris compared to 67% in Wimbledon, 76% in the Australian Open and a remarkable 83% in the US Open.