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US OPEN

September 1, 2019

Daniil Medvedev

New York, NY, USA

D. MEDVEDEV/D. Koepfer

3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. First of all, an incredible run this summer. It seems to me you have this sort of deep inner feeling with the New York crowd. There is a kind of love you just feel out there. They have inspired you so much. Could you talk about where that comes from and how it feels?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, you know, I mean, talking about last match, I was an idiot, to be honest. I did some things that I'm not proud of and that I'm working on to be a better person on the court because I do think I'm a good person out of the court.

Talking about today, I think, I mean, I was just, during my match I was completely focused. After the match, I engaged a little bit with the crowd. But we all know how New York crowd can be. It's probably the most electric crowd in the world, I think.

Especially, I mean, playing this week on big courts, I could feel it. Today I was just engaging with the crowd and hopefully -- hopefully it was fun for them and for me. As I said, it gave me a lot of energy to win.

Q. You're wearing clothes where we can't see all of it, but how much tape do you have on you? Because I could see a lot sticking out of various parts of you.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, usually I'm trying not to use so much tape. It's just that -- I think it's the cramps I had in the third round that still had, let's say, their traces on me.

My adductors both were tight, so that's why I had the tape on the adductor. My shoulder was quite painful at the end of the match with Lopez. That's why I had the tape on the shoulder. Yeah.

Q. Is it comfortable wearing all that tape?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, it's actually -- I took some painkillers also before the match, and I don't know if it was the painkillers or tape or adrenaline I had during the match. I didn't feel anything.

You could see -- I think it was an amazing match. Of course it's tough to say when you're playing it and not watching it on TV, but I honestly think it was a top 10 match, both from me and from him.

Q. Why do you do that little dance when you win?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Usually, as you can see, I'm not that emotional after my wins, because I'm, like, either I lose and, okay, I just have to shake hand with an opponent, congrats him, and go to the locker. Or I win, and it's, like, Okay, it's over, I have done it, and I'm looking at my team and watch their emotions.

I like to watch other people's emotions more than show mine. That's the way I am. Talking about the dance, I was just so happy about my win today that I just decided to do something special my first quarterfinal. Because I saw some comments already that some people think it was against the crowd. It was not at all. It was just showing how happy I was to be in the quarters.

Q. Were you surprised the crowd reacted the way they did?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, they reacted less than the last match. I was a little bit surprised, because as I say, it was not against them. It was something with myself (smiling).

Q. Last few matches you have kind of become like a villain to the crowd at this tournament. Do you like that, that role?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Look, I mean, I think I have answered in my last two answers everything I wanted about the fans. As I just said, I think it was a great match, and, I mean, I have been in amazing form. Let's talk about tennis, to be honest, really.

Q. Speaking of tennis, your next match is going to be a very difficult one no matter who wins tonight. Since we don't know who your opponent will be, separately, can you first speak to Novak Djokovic and why you think you have had so much success against him lately?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, of course. First of all, I want to say that I have huge respect for both of them. They are both amazing champions of our sport. One a little bit more of champion than another, but still...

When I was playing junior Grand Slams, it was, like, a classic semifinal, Djokovic, Wawrinka, I remember two times in Australia, I think, and final of Roland Garros. It was all when I was a junior. Some amazing tennis from both of them, like, out of this world.

I will probably watch the match and enjoy it. Talking about them differently, I mean, playing Novak is always tough, and especially five-setters. At this moment we played two times out of five sets. I lost both of them. Our games are really physical. Even he said it. It's not going to be easy.

Or if Stan wins, I played him in Wimbledon. I think that was our only meeting. Totally different. Grass, I was young, I was less experienced, so I was on fire that match.

I think that Stan also in Grand Slams, he's playing right now better than on other tournaments. Let's first see the winner.

Q. Just with Novak, why do you think you have been so successful against him lately?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think because my style matches his, not weaknesses because he doesn't really have weaknesses, but match is something that's disturbing him. All the matches we played against him, it was not easy for him, and finally I managed to win the last two. So if we are going to play, hopefully I can continue to bring him some annoying tennis (smiling).

Q. This sport kind of craves characters. You have gotten a lot of fans online after the last couple of matches. Have you paid any attention to the fans online? What stands out the most?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, to be honest, I do read comments sometimes. Of course it's just impossible to read all of them, because they go fast and then you cannot see them.

But I do like to read comments about me, to learn also, to learn what people think about me, where should I be better or what should I keep?

To be honest with you, especially after the last match, I learned a lot to myself. As I say, I need to be a better person on the court than I was the last match.

Q. Speaking about how to learn, in 2015 here in the final, Djokovic versus Federer, almost everybody was in favor of Roger. Then Novak said, When I heard "Roger," to me, I said they shouted "Novak." Would you say that today when people said "Dominik" or "Koepfer," everybody was saying "Daniil"?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I was not thinking about this this way, but actually, a funny story, I remember playing against Novak in Davis Cup. I think it was not that big stadium, like 4,000, but of course packed. We're losing 1-0. Karen lost against Troicki.

I just went out of the court and I understood there is going to be like 10 people sitting there in the Russian box for me and the rest is going to be for Novak. This match, I started cramping when I was up, like, 6-3, 3-0, I started cramping a little bit before so couldn't finish the match, but was amazing experience for me and was playing some great tennis.

But all the match, I was just taking the energy, I was not listening to kind of not thinking about that they were against me. I was just taking the energy they had, because the energy was electric, and just putting it on the court. That's what I'm trying to do when it's against me.

Q. I guess you have been told maybe that your game looks like a little bit the one of Mecir in the '90s? Maybe you see on YouTube?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I know the name, of course. I know he's a great player. I couldn't see his game, unfortunately.

Q. Maybe you should see it, YouTube, changing pace.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I heard some people also said, like, Jimmy Connors. I don't know. It's for you guys to decide. Especially the backhand I heard. I don't know. I was not born.

Q. Do you think you have a different style from most players, even if you played double-hand backhand, but that you don't really hit all the time, you change pace all the time? Maybe you're more similar to someone than someone else?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I would say I'm more similar to Novak, but again, it's not for me to decide but more for you guys and the fans and experts on the TV. Me, I'm trying to learn my own way, the way I play.

Of course when I see Novak play against Roger, for example, I can see something they do like amazing. Okay, maybe I can try and introduce it into my game in practice. That's what we do with my coach every day. For example, talking about today's match, I went on the court and thought, okay, I'm going to play flat, going to wait for some unforced errors from him, probably he's going to be nervous, first fourth round in his life.

And he was playing all the lines. He was, let's say, destroying me. It was 6-3, 2-0. I just didn't know what to do. I did something I would not be capable of one year ago, I started playing as aggressive as I could, taking the ball as early as I could, which I usually don't do. That's why I won, and that's why this victory is even more precious.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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