NITTO ATP FINALS

November 21, 2020

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/R. Nadal

3-6, 7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You were speaking about how you sort of changed tactics a little bit, maybe tried to be more aggressive. Could you just walk us through that? And also, what was your reaction to how much Rafa was slicing the backhand tonight?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I mean, all the match till 5-4 I felt like I was doing some good things but not enough, and I didn't feel inside myself, inside my mind, my game, the link between the shots, which I started feeling after I broke him, because the game at 5-4 I cannot say that, Oh, that's when I started feeling everything. No, it was just a good game.

Then I started to get more into it, started to feel when I actually have to go more to his backhand, because as you say, today he was just slicing slowly and playing slowly from there so I could -- I think he only hit like maybe two winners in the match from the backhand side.

And then when I have to mix it up to go on his forehand, yeah, started to feel more the link of the game. I think I could feel it in the score and actually, yeah, everything about the match, the tiebreak and third set was really good.

Q. Can you just look ahead to the final and playing Dom. The two young ones out of the four semifinalists clashing in this championship match?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah. Actually I saw on either ATP Tour or Tennis TV Instagram, just opened the post about us four in the semis, and I think the post, the comment they got the most likes was my mind is saying Dominic and Daniil will be in the final and my heart goes for Rafa and Novak (smiling).

So this time the mind won. It's great that we managed, you know, to beat two most biggest players in the history of sport, except Roger also there.

So I think it's super for tennis. We are starting to get to take our marks. Dominic won his first slam, playing unbelievable tennis right now. Not gonna be easy. Hopefully I can play good like this. I for sure can cause him some troubles.

Q. A question concerning Domi. When do you met him first and when was the first interaction when you saw him playing tennis? What's the most specific thing on him also personally, not only the tennis thing?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I remember very well, because it was a great one in Umag, Croatia. I think it was my first great one. I was 14 years old. It was a junior tournament under-18.

He was in the final of Roland Garros, and he came to play this tournament, which was a surprise for everybody. So for sure I wanted points, was the main goal. I was the last one to get in.

I was telling to my friends -- because he was already a superstar among juniors, you know. I was telling to my friends that it would be nice to get a lucky loser or wildcard first round, to try to win, and then to get Dominic. That what's happen.

I actually played I think the nephew of Marin Cilic or something like this. I beat him, and then I played Dominic on clay. He destroyed me 2 and 0, I think. I think I maybe made a tweener winner if I'm not mistaken.

Actually lost the memory of this match, and he remembered me in some interview one time about it. So, yeah, that's the first impression. I had crazy attitude on the court, like 10 times worse than right now.

He told me after the match, You're going to have a good future maybe, but you need to be a little bit more calm. Because I was going crazy. And I don't know if he remembers this, but it's funny to remember sometimes like this when we are going to play final tomorrow.

Q. You did remember the first match. What do you remember of the last one? You played at the US Open. There were two tiebreakers but quite close, especially one of those.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, it was a close match except the first set, which he played really good and destroyed me. I also had a little meltdown, which maybe cost me some concentration, but it was already 4-2 for him. Actually was serving for both second and third set. This maybe is a little bit easier indoors to serve for the set. For the match not always, as we saw today even.

But, yeah, as I said, Dominic is amazing player. I practiced with him two times here on center court, because we knew we can't play together, so we actually practiced two times, two first times.

Was really tight points, tight games, so I think it's going to be great tennis tomorrow.

Q. You won four last games of such a match against Rafa Nadal. Which single quality would you emphasize on as being the decisive for such an amazing victory?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Oh, tough to say, because I think you cannot take one. To beat Rafa you need everything. Good backhand, good forehand working this day. Mentally you need to be super strong because he's there all the point. Last point, the ball touches the net, in my mind, I'm like, If the ball passes, we're gonna play again, and we go again and we go again.

That's the matches with Rafa. So I was really happy it didn't pass. That's why I was smiling. I was, like, If this one passes, then it's a little bit of last year where I had match point, didn't make it.

But, yeah, everything was working well tonight, especially, as I say, starting from the end of the second set.