WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 24, 2020

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/M. Giron

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How does it feel being back on court?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It was actually really tough. It was so hot today in New York. Really tough to play. I think I see this in many matches. Especially after losing first set, many guys are tough to get back in the second.

So this was a tough thing. If not, I know I served well. I'm not really happy with my level from the baseline, but I won in straight sets without going to the tiebreak. Didn't lose my serve. That's what matters. That's the most important.

Sometimes you can play good and lose a match, so it's better to play not your best tennis and win a match. Looking forward to next round.

Q. That feeling you had a year ago around this time when you were doing so well in Washington, Canada, Cincinnati, New York, looking back a year later, how do you remember that time now? Do you feel like it's something that was a special moment or something that you're still continuing on or still capable of doing right now?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: No, it was great. I mean, a lot of things came together. Because, you know, you need to play good for sure to make these results.

I had some matches where maybe I got lucky, because tennis sometimes plays -- you can lose a set in few points. It's one break and it's over.

That was amazing moments. Of course I remember sometimes because it was a great part of my career. The only thing that it was the past. So I try to remember it just to remember some maybe specific things that I did well, to continue doing them, improving them.

But of course now it's too soon to say anything. Was just my first match. I would say in general, I'm still happy because I won a match. In practice I was playing really good. So it's going to come back to this stage.

Need to get better physically just by playing matches, so the more matches you win, the better you will feel physically, because today was tough, even the win, 6-4, 6-4. That's the main things right now.

Q. You were just saying what happened last year is all in the past now, but when you come into an event like this where the situation is so different to last year and you're the defending champion, do you feel any extra pressure with this year's event in having to start reproducing what you started last year or what you got going last year?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: No, I need to be honest. I do feel these things different. I think, first of all, we are playing in New York, so it makes it different than last year.

I don't have to defend any points, so I came here to see where my level is right now, am I capable of playing against the best players in the world.

Yeah, I love to play tennis. So that's why I also came here. Six months without tournament is a long time.

But to be honest, I don't feel at all any pressure. And I don't feel like the defending champ, just because it's so different the situation from last year. So I would say if the situation comes back to normal, I would feel even if I don't win this year, next year if it's in Cincinnati, I'm going to feel like the defending champion.

Q. Does it actually help in one sense mentally where you know you don't have to be defending points and things like that?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think, yes, because me, at the same time, you know, I got this advice long, long ago when I was playing futures, you cannot really defend points because you can only win them. Every year starts from zero, race to London and stuff like this. When you're going to finish the year, your ranking is going to be the one that you won the points this year.

I don't usually stress about defending points, but of course here I want to say I don't have too much pressure, but I always put it myself in a good way, because, well, I want to win, and if I lose I'm not going to be, Oh, well, okay, I don't lose any points, I don't care. I want to win as many matches as possible.

Q. Do you feel different at all as a player with these six months with the tour having been in suspension?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I would be really surprised if somebody says, No, I feel the same. Me, I feel really different at this moment. Of course by playing as many matches as possible, by playing tournaments, maybe getting good results, that's where everything going to come back. I'm talking about the feeling.

Because so far, I mean, the matches I watch, it's like everybody's a bit, it's not stress, but you don't feel where you are at this moment. Same on practice. That's just my feeling.

I think it's completely normal. Didn't have competitive tennis, so it's going to come back to normal one moment but maybe not these two weeks.

Q. I know that you are an NHL fan, at least the video game. I don't know if you have seen any of the playoffs going on for NHL. Have you seen them? What do you think of the artificial crowd noise? If you'd like to have some in tennis at these tournaments here?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, actually, talking about TV, I like to watch NBA more, so I'm usually watching NBA matches here. Almost all the time I was watching Washington but they lost quite fast. I came here, I saw just two matches.

But, yeah, I think the sound is not bad. I think maybe if tournament organizers are thinking about this, they could try it, let's say, one day or two days and ask players of how is it?

Because I think it can be good, because I actually -- it's funny, first point of the match I made a winner, and that's where you understand there is no crowd. Because nothing happened, you know.

So I think, yeah, I think that's what they do in soccer, also, NHL, NBA, so I think it can be a good thing.

Q. Does it feel like flat, like tough to keep your sort of energy or focus when you've hit a great winner and nothing happens?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: No, it's just different. Everybody knows why we are here. We all know what we have to do. I have to win the match, and that's the most important.

So during the match, actually, I would say it's even easier to keep focused. But of course sometimes you know in the match, and it's completely normal, you can be down and the crowd starts supporting you so you can come back, and maybe it's tougher without the crowd in this way.

But again, we have to get used to it. I think it's going to be for some time that we're not going to have crowds. So I don't think that for anybody it's going to be a big problem for now.

Q. Did you do anything in your training to prepare at all for, I guess always you practice with no fans generally at home, but if there is anything you can do mentally to prepare for this? And if there is anything particularly you worked on in your game during this time? Because you theoretically could have had a lot of time to change something major in your game if you wanted to.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I mean, to be honest, no, mentally I didn't prepare at all to play with no fans. As you say, we practice with no fans. When you play juniors, futures, challengers, many, many times you won't have anyone watching you except your coach.

As I say, I think that everybody is ready to fight, to win matches. So that's the most important.

Yeah, of course we had a lot of time with my coach. As I said before, we didn't practice for six months nonstop six days a week, but no, we didn't do anything special. We just tried to again improve the things maybe where I can improve a little more like slice or volley, something like this, continue working on the serve, forehand, backhand.

Just nothing too special, but just trying to improve my game as we can.

Q. Did you do anything to keep your mind active during the time? I know you have done some studying in the past. Curious what you did mentally. Other interests.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I need to be honest, I play a lot of video games. So I was playing a lot of video games during the evenings.

You know, we tried with my coach and with my team to try to make the best calendar possible to -- okay, let's say sometimes, one time I took a three-week break. Went two weeks to just near the sea in France, as you say, relax.

If we talk about mind activities, I didn't do anything special, but actually, there is one Russian game. I don't know if it has its English version, but it's a quiz where you play against other people. It's five things which are sports, history, geography, art, and science.

I'm not that bad, I can tell you. I'm still playing it, and I really like it because it has like the ranking like sports so it's really competitive.

Q. On that game, that quiz thing, which was your best subject?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Definitely sport. I know so much about sports, not only talking about tennis. My dad loved sports, so he was watching, for example, a lot of cycling. What else did he watch? Hockey sometimes. So some things maybe that I would not watch alone I know because of him.

And then me, I'm really interested in a lot of sports like basketball. When I was young I was watching curling and snooker. Now I don't do it anymore, but I really do know a lot of things there.

I love soccer, so I usually never lose in soccer questions.

Q. You were talking about playing video games. Firstly, how important is that for you? Can you translate that for a match with a mental side, coordination side? And the second thing is what, besides the actual competition, what did you miss the most in these six months off?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, the most you miss in the competition is actually the competition, which I don't know how to explain better. The feeling of winning a match or even losing, okay, when you lose a match, basically you're disappointed and you don't want this feeling.

But that's what I didn't have for six months, you know, this adrenaline going through your body. When you basically play a match, in tennis there is no draw. You can either win or lose. That's adrenaline, because that's a game. That's why it's called sports.

Actually, that's why I like to play video games, because I'm really competitive. I would say if I don't do anything during the day which is competitive, I become a little bit, not crazy, but I'm, like, Okay, where is the competition?

Even when we play cards with my friends, like easy Russian games, I'm not talking poker or anything, we usually play, let's say, for five Euros just to make this competition, because a lot of my friends are tennis players and we are competitors.

So as you talk about video games, I do consider it a sport, because I know how tough it is there and how competitive it can be, and that's why I like playing them also.

That's why I never play, you know, I don't know how it's called in English, but when you have to play against computer and you have to play a story. I only play online.

Q. What's the name of the app, trivia app, or the game?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's called Battle of the Geniuses, but I'm not sure it has its English version, but maybe. I make good advertisement (smiling).

Q. I saw a report like a couple weeks ago, a driving thing that happened with you in Monaco? What happened there?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I exceeded the speed limits. So I cannot drive in France for six months. Yeah, I had nothing to do. I took it as it is. I broke the rules, so I have to pay for it.

Q. How fast were you going?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I was going 163 kilometers per hour, where probably it would be like 159 they would not take my license away.

Q. Do you know what the limit was there?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, but it was no cars and I was going home after tough practice day, so I wanted to be home faster.