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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WIMBLEDON

July 3, 2017

Daniil Medvedev

Wimbledon, London, England

D. MEDVEDEV/S. Wawrinka

6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you assess that? On paper, certainly looks like the biggest win of your career.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It definitely is. First of all, it's my first Grand Slam win. So even I guess if I didn't beat Stan, it would be one of the biggest wins in my life.

My first top-10 win. I have no words to describe this. I guess this memory will be with me forever.

Q. How did you do it?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I played good (smiling). I mean, I had a great grass court season so far. I beat some guys. I was feeling confident. I guess Stan had some problems before; he played only one match on grass, which he lost.

I was looking forward to it, and I knew that if I played good I can make something. That's what happened.

Q. How do you explain that you're kind of rising like a rocket at the moment?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, I have always said that for me the level of tennis, the ranking comes with the level of tennis, so I'm just trying to improve every day. I guess my level improved in some practices, and just -- I played good tournaments in a row. Now I beat Stan. I'm looking forward to next round, and I hope to do great here.

Q. What is it about the grass? Obviously you had two quarterfinals and a semi coming in?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think my game suits really well on grass, because I don't have, like, huge serve but it's quite strong and very precise. So that's the best thing for grass, because with the grass it goes faster than on hard or clay.

Then I have really flat game, which no one likes to play, because you have to put the ball up after my shots. I'm good at the key moments. So far I have been good at these key moments.

So, like, everything just makes me play well on grass, and that's my favorite surface.

Q. What do you know about Ruben Bemelmans, who is going to be your next opponent?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I never played against him, I think, but I saw him a lot in challengers last year. He's actually a great player. He was top 100 once. I think he likes to play on grass, so he beat Tommy Haas and Tommy Haas beat Roger on grass.

It's not going to be an easy match, and I'm going to try my best to go through.

Q. Were you consciously aware Stan was struggling with a knee problem and did it kind of affect the way you were playing him?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It didn't affect the way I was playing him, because I was just trying to do my best. I was just trying to find a shot that will make him in trouble, and I was not thinking about the knee.

Actually, I don't know. I don't know how he felt during this match, but in my opinion at least first three sets he was playing maybe not his best but he was trying his best. It's better to ask him, I mean, about his injury.

Q. You're Andre Medvedev's brother; is that right?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Brother? No. I think if you ask about being his son would be more closer, no.

Q. Is there any connection? Do you get that question sometimes?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I get this a lot and when people normally ask me, Are you... I say no straight away, because I know what's coming.

There are a lot of Medvedevs in Russia and Ukraine also, I guess.

Q. Dmitry?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I'm not relative, also.

Q. First time on Centre Court, I guess?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Of course.

Q. And no fear at all?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I mean, of course it's a very strange feeling to go out there. It's like you have a fear, you're tight, but plus to this also, you want to show your best. You want to win Stan Wawrinka on Centre Court so that people can know more about you.

It was just something special. I don't know how to explain it.

Q. Didn't look like you were anxious or something.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I try to be calm in my face and not to show anything, but I had a lot of feelings inside.

Q. Respect, as well?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, yeah, of course.

I mean, yeah, about respect, I'm just grateful to play against such players as Stan and to be there. That's what I told him after the match, that it's a pleasure for me to play against him and of course it's a pleasure to win him.

Q. Did you have a feeling coming into Wimbledon that you might be capable of something like this?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yes. As I said, I love grass. I play well on grass. I beat a lot of good guys on grass.

I knew that I can do well here.

Q. Obviously your profile over here is going to increase a lot now after a win like this and people are going to sort of try and sort of look into who you are. When they do, kind of naturally enough, what happened last April in the U.S. is going to come up, and it's a question you're going to have to answer. Is there anything you'd be able to tell us about that qualification, kind of clarify what actually happened from your point of view?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, I think, yeah, this thing will come up, but what I can tell is that I'm not racist at all. That's the only thing I will tell. And about the situation, it was a misunderstanding.

Q. Maybe a couple months ago there were some rumors you were ill? Maybe mono? Did you suffer some illness and did you take some time away and was that a struggle for you?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I had mononucleosis. It was really tough time, because I was in Indian Wells, and I was feeling like hell there. It was so bad. One moment I couldn't drink water because I had it with angina. After I read that mononucleosis comes often with angina, I didn't eat for three days; I had only mashed potatoes because I couldn't even drink. I went back to Europe and understood I had mononucleosis and I have to stay home for like one month, do nothing.

So it was not easy, and when I came back, because finally I guess I knew about it when it was an early stage, so that's why in two months I'm here playing Wimbledon.

But when I came back, I think I came back a little bit too early, and I made a hip injury in Budapest. I had to retire during the match. That was two weeks without tennis more.

And then when I came back, in Lyon was really tough to play on clay and I had cramps during Roland Garros, so it was really tough for me.

I'm happy this grass court season is going like this.

Q. Who was your idol growing up? Was it another Russian player?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I didn't really have an idol. Marat Safin, of course. When I was 8 I was looking at him winning Australian, I think I was 8 or something like this. It was amazing.

Q. There is a lot of young Russian players coming through at the moment. Is there any particular reason you're all grouped together? Talk about your relationship with each other.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: We are all good friends. I mean, it's right now three of us coming through, I guess. We know each other since we are maybe 8 or 7. It's just great. I talked once to my girlfriend that, I mean, who would think when we were 10 we knew each other already, who would think that all of us would be main draw Wimbledon and me playing Centre Court, beating Stan, Karen upsetting...

It's amazing what's happen. I really don't know the reasons. We are all competitive. Every one of us wants to be better than the other one. I think when one does good, the other ones try to follow.

Of course I will try to follow even without other Russians, but I think this is one of the things that makes us grow faster.

Q. You live in Antibes?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I live in Monaco.

Q. Do you speak French?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: (answering in French.)

Q. How far do you think you can go in this tournament?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, I didn't even look at my draw, like after the second round, so I don't know who I will play if I will be winning.

But after beating Stan, I mean, I feel good on grass. I will just try to play match by match, try to do my best, but I would say if I can reach a quarterfinal, I would be happy.

Q. Do you notice the difference between Queen's Club and playing at Centre Court?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, I think Queen's gave me a lot of experience for this, because before Queen's I almost never played in front of, like, 10,000 crowd, and Queen's I think it was like 9,000, the stadium, and it was almost full when I played against Dimitrov.

So that match gave me experience before this match, because, okay, of course it doesn't feel different. I mean, Wimbledon Centre Court is -- Grand Slam center court is something different to every other tournament. But it helped me, yes.

Q. When did you leave Russia to train? Talk about some of the people who have had a big influence on you in your career.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I left Russia when I was 18. I moved to France. I practice in Cannes. First I lived in Antibes and now I live in Monaco.

I mean, all my coaches and of course my parents, my parents were always there with me. They are the only people who are with me from the first step in tennis. They always supporting me no matter what happen, no matter how I was playing. I was never getting -- they were never getting angry on me, I would say.

And of course all of my coaches, I had like I would say three steps in my career. First when I was young, from 6 to 10 years old. Then I was practicing in Moscow from 10 to 18. Then I moved to France. All these three steps, all the coaches that were with me during these three steps were important.

Q. Did you train with Bob Brett?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Never.

Q. Because he's so close to Cannes?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Never. I have never been there even once.

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