Daniil Medvedev claims Shelton and Draper are at a disadvantage over most ATP players

Ben Shelton and Jack Draper are two players who many believe could give Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner the most trouble on tour.

Shelton picked up his fourth ATP title in Dallas earlier this month, adding to his run to the Australian Open quarterfinals. Draper, meanwhile, has had a tougher time with injuries since last year’s Wimbledon, despite a strong start to 2025.

Speaking to Eurosport, Medvedev explained why he thinks neither of them is quite ready to make that leap just yet.

Medvedev weighs in on whether lefties have an edge in tennis

Medvedev is known for his unusual approach on the court, but it’s worked well for him, taking him to world No. 1 and helping him lift the US Open trophy back in 2021.

But while his style stands out, he’s still a right-hander—unlike Juncheng Shang, his first-round opponent at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Speaking before their match, Medvedev talked about how left-handed players have been successful throughout history, naming Rafael Nadal as a prime example.

“I always wonder because I’m not left-handed,” Medvedev told Tennis TV. “How do they feel? Because on one side I would probably say if you ask all the right-handers they are going to say, ‘It must be super good to be a left-hander’.”

“Most of the time you are going to play a righty so most of the time you are going to be used to it. And we as right-handers are not going to be used to it as we play them much less than they play us.”

“Yes of course there are some really great ones but I always wonder what do they feel inside. Like when Jerry comes to play me for example…do they feel like they have the edge because they are confident in how they play against right-handers.”

Despite what people might think, Medvedev sees things differently and even believes being left-handed can actually be a disadvantage.

“No, I do think it’s very tricky for them as well and I actually do think it’s a bit of a disadvantage because they play against right-handers more than we play against them so every match is tricky, tricky,” said Medvedev.

Medvedev thinks being left-handed is a tougher path

It’s hard to find anyone who plays quite like Daniil Medvedev on the ATP Tour. That unique style helped him climb to world number one and win the US Open title back in 2021.

Despite how he plays, Medvedev is still a right-hander, unlike his Dubai Tennis Championships first-round opponent, Juncheng Shang.

When asked about playing left-handed players, Medvedev explained that he often wonders what players like Shang think about playing right-handed players and if they think they have an edge.

“I always wonder, because I’m not a left-hander, how do they feel?” Medvedev told Tennis TV. “Because on one side, I would probably say if you ask all the right-handers they are going to say, ‘It must be super good to be a left-hander.’

“Why? Because most of the time you are going to play a righty, so most of the time you are going to be used to it. And we as right-handers are not going to be used to it, as we play them much less than they play us.

“But at the same time when you look throughout the history of tennis, there are not that many left handers. Yes of course there are some really great ones, but I always wonder what do they feel inside. Like when Jerry (Juncheng Shang) comes to play me for example…do they feel like they have the edge because they are confident in how they play against right-handers.”

Medvedev was then asked if he thinks left-handed players have an advantage. He claimed that he thought that it was actually the opposite.

“No, I do think it’s very tricky for them as well and I actually do think it’s a bit of a disadvantage because they play against right-handers more than we play against them so every match is tricky,” explained Medvedev.

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