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NEXT GEN ATP FINALS

November 7, 2017

Daniil Medvedev

Fiera Milano, Italy

D. MEDVEDEV/K. Khachanov

2-4, 4-3, 4-3, 4-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Now that you have played with those new rules, what are your thoughts on it?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, because I started cramping in the end, which is very strange, so I was happy about these rules. I could finish the match with one game. Otherwise with the normal format it would be tougher.

But if not regarding this thing, I really liked it. It was very fun for me, and, I mean, it's something new and fresh. And especially at the end of the season, when you are tired, for me it was really cool to play with these rules.

Q. Specifically about the rules, I guess, what was the most challenging thing you faced today you felt you needed to get used to the most?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: The most challenging thing and the only thing I didn't like in the new rules was basically the crowd, that they could walk, because normally they cannot talk, but for sure if they walk there is a lot of sound and they also talk.

Actually, it was really tough at the beginning to try to focus on your game and on the game of your opponent. Regarding the other rules, as I said, I really liked all of them. It was fun today.

Q. I enjoyed there being no line judges, but the only issues with that seemed to be that sometimes when they said it was a close call and would start playing it on the screen while the next point was on. During the fourth set, there seemed to be one point where that distracted you. Is that the only issue with that as far as you're concerned?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I think it was a mistake from the system, because they shouldn't show it after the first serve. So basically what happened they showed it, and he served and I didn't know if I have to stop, because if you stop and the referee didn't say anything, you lose the point. I missed my return, and I said, Come on.

Yeah, that was a little bit strange moment. But from the other side, as you said, I think it's really cool that -- I mean, in every other sport there are many innovation, and this thing without line judges makes it more fair, I would say.

Q. What did you think about the no linespeople? What did you think of the voices? Did it take getting used to or was it all good?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: As I said, it seemed good for me. I mean, the voice was okay, it was very fast, continued the play when we heard it. I think it should be quite fair, the system. Doesn't do mistakes, I hope. Me, I really liked it.

Q. Is there one rule here today that you think could be incorporated into the ATP Tour?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think it was talked a lot about in last years that there is the time violation rule gets stricter on the tour, so I guess the shot clock will be something I think, in my opinion, that will be first added to ATP Tour. Maybe even soon, I guess. I'm not sure. I'm not the one who makes the rules (smiling).

Q. Having access to the stats during a match, they were also showing some stats on the big screen. How distracting is that? Is there ever a feeling, oh, I don't want to see these rally percentages and things like that?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It was a little bit strange, because me, I could also see his stats. I think the rally shot placement doesn't help a lot, but to see where he serves is quite big.

I was actually a little bit disappointed, because he had, like, exactly the same percentage of serving T and wide, so I was, like, doesn't give me anything (smiling).

I looked at mine and I had to change something. So it's quite funny. As I said, you know, many of the rules will, I think, will never be added, but to play this new tournament with these new rules, new innovations is great thing from ATP. It was very fun for me.

Q. Mentally, what does it change to play four games? It has to be completely different.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, it's very big difference. You need to be good from the start to the end of the set. You cannot have one moment where you relax your concentration, because -- well, I lost the first game of the match and I lost the set so fast in, like, 20 minutes.

So that's very challenging, and again, I like it. I like it. Seems good for me.

Q. I saw you use the coaching headsets, as well. What was discussed to help you clinch victory?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: That's actually one other thing that I think can be added. It's actually a little bit strange. I think tennis is maybe only sport to not have coaching, which I se, in my opinion, is not really, not fair, but is not right. I mean, you work with your coach all year long. So why cannot he tell you something during the game?

So when I put the headphones on me, I didn't have anything to say about myself. I just wanted to listen to him and what he says. He gave me some advices, and finally I won, so I guess he made a good job.

Q. It must have felt a bit odd at the end of that first set, when, with one point, you could either break him or he won the set, which he did, obviously. How did it feel at that point?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It felt frustrating. I had Love-40, and that's what I'm happy about this match that at the end of the season I had a lot of matches where I couldn't find my game and couldn't come back in the match. Here, losing the first set I had a lot of things in my mind coming through, and I'm very happy that I managed to raise my game to come back in this match and win it.

Q. On the same point really, the sudden death deuce, they sometimes use it in tournaments in juniors. Have you played that system before?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Which one?

Q. The sudden death deuce point, the no advantage point. Did you come across that as a junior?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Never in singles. Only in doubles. I like it. It's again quite challenging. So all of these new rules are challenging for us and can show who's more stronger mentally, I think, because deciding point, no let, all of this is so tough to get used to. I really like the thing that the server chooses the side. It's more fair, I think.

Q. Earlier you talked about the Hawk-Eye data. Did you say you changed your serve where you were hitting your serve based on that or you adjusted your game somehow?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: A little bit. As I said, for him it was totally the same percentage of serving either wide or T. For me, it was not.

Before the fourth set, in my mind I was, like, okay, I need to change it a little bit. I don't know if it worked, but finally I won, didn't lose the serve, so I guess I made those things right.

Q. You talked about the shot clock as being something you enjoyed, but how did you prepare differently or have you prepared differently for this week, bearing in mind that was coming into effect and bearing in mind some of the other changes? Do you think it was a factor regarding your cramping, quicker turnover between points?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: To answer the second question first, no, my cramps, there can be a lot of reasons for cramping but I think the main was the stress, playing against Karen, my best friend. We haven't played each other actually for like six years. It was something special.

About the shot clock, it actually gives you a lot of time, because the referee doesn't push it immediately. He pushes it when he send the score, so you always have 25 seconds after this. Both of us, we didn't receive a time violation. We were never even close, I think.

So I like this rule, because me, I received time violations in my life, but sometimes you don't feel it. You don't have the timer inside of you. So you just get ready for the serve, you receive a time violation, you're, like, a little bit frustrated. Here you can see. If you get the time violation, it's very fair. So I like it.

Q. Talking about the coach, don't you think that someone with more money to afford the bigger, better coach has a good advantage, a great advantage compared to, let's say, a young kid who is coming up, who is already struggling to come up and doesn't have the same money to afford the best coach ever?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: This is a very tough question, honestly, so I cannot answer it perfectly. I can only say my opinion on this point. My opinion is that you can tell this about everything.

I mean, I'm sure, let's say Roger, he didn't have the money when he was 18. So he worked to have the money to, let's say, have the best recovery in Grand Slam possible. I'm sure he does a lot more things than me. It's like -- it's a very tough question, because nobody, almost nobody had it at the beginning, so you work to be at the top to have some benefits, and this is one of them.

I don't see why it should be only this one, shouldn't be the benefit. If you have the money to afford, okay, that's where you win. That's why you spend more money. Tough question, but I try to answer it.

Q. I guess when it's a new tournament and a new venue, you don't really know what to expect. So did it kind of meet your expectations or did anything surprise you, especially that a lot of people showed up, as well? Did you think that that would happen?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: As you said, a lot of things surprise me and that's why I said I didn't play that good at the beginning, because everything is so new. Let's say I have never played a tournament with my own locker room. With only eight players in the tournament, it's like where we all know each other here. We just -- it's very strange atmosphere, very new. I'm happy to win the first match of the NextGen Finals history.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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