ATP CUP

February 6, 2021

Andrey Rublev

Daniil Medvedev

Team Russia

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What is your reaction to the win over Germany?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I'll go first. I'm not shy.

We're really happy to get the win, that's the most important. Tough matches both of us. Both of us lost the first set. Not easy because we had two days off before the match. I don't know what Andrey thinks about this but, had two days without the matches, one day we were in the room almost the whole day, so not easy to prepare a match.

But happy we're in the final. That's the most important.

ANDREY RUBLEV: Not much things to say. Yeah, we're really happy to be in the final, especially to win two tough matches, especially Daniil, because I was so tight when I was watching it outside because I didn't want to play doubles.

Yeah, I'm happy everything was over with two singles. We'll see what's going to happen tomorrow.

Q. Will you play tomorrow, given if you play tomorrow you may play on the Monday?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, they decided today, I know for sure, who plays when. Let's see how it goes. I definitely will play tomorrow for the country.

After for sure it can get in the head. The good thing is everybody will play tomorrow who is in the same part of the group. We all going to play Monday if they put us Monday. It's going to be in everybody's head.

Q. It's pretty unusual to be playing this close to the start of a Grand Slam. Do you feel that's putting you back in your preparation for the Australian Open or is it a good thing?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I would say it's tough. I think everything that happened here in Australia, if we talk from tennis point of view, of course I'm saying only from tennis point of view, it's tough. The preparation, you cannot be hundred percent. For some people it's good, somebody will be ready better, somebody will be worse. I'm just trying to do my best I can to be hundred percent first for ATP Cup and then Australian Open. Let's see how it goes. I don't know in the future.

Q. A tight match against Sascha. What parts of your game do you think were good today, especially in the third set?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Serve. I wasn't serving well today, that's why I was in trouble many times. Third set was a little bit better, I think. I started to make some big serves in big moments. That was a big key against Sascha. He serves well. If you don't serve well, he's going to return the balls in the court and it's going to be tough. That was the key today. I managed to I think keep it up during the match.

Q. Certain points where there were touch points, using the slice a lot. Is that surprising for you when you're playing a powerful player?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I mean, we are all good tennis players, so we all know how to do a dropshot or something like this.

I know that he can slice. Especially people like to use slice against me sometimes. I was ready for it. So no surprise.

Q. What have you made of the team environment? Do you enjoy being in that?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Sorry, I don't really hear.

Q. Being in the team environment, ATP Cup, how much does that mean to you? Some players feed off that.

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, it's little bit tough question because, I mean, here we're as a team, we're playing for the country. But is like I said also before, still like a little bit also singles competition because we're playing for the points.

Normally the captain is not deciding nothing here, so we decide if we want to play or not. For example, Daniil first and I second, we decide if we want to play or not. It's not like when you play Davis Cup or something that captain pick up the team. Maybe he don't want to see this player on the team or something, he decide who going to play tomorrow.

Here is more like in a single way. But in the end result we are doing together.

Q. Were you a bit nervous watching Daniil play?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Of course. Like I said, in the end result we all doing together, is a team result. I didn't wanted to play doubles. I don't know. Was better to finish with the singles.

Q. He's looked exceptional this week.

ANDREY RUBLEV: I'm sure all the players would like to have Daniil in his team, not against. I'm the lucky one.

Q. Do you feel like this is probably your best chance to go deep into the second week?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I have a first round to play, really tough one. I'm definitely looking just for this one first of all. I always say I try to do my best. If it helps me to win the tournaments, like I did few times, perfect, I will be super happy. Winning my first Grand Slam will be amazing feeling. If my best will be first round, we never know. I lose sometimes. It's normal.

I just do my best and I see how it goes. Hopefully my best can be good.

Q. How much time are you actually spending together as part of the team? Are you allowing Karen to be part of the team?

ANDREY RUBLEV: He's allowing himself.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: He's the captain (laughter). He's allowing himself.

It was different last year, three different cities, you come there one week before for the jet lag, stay only with your team. You won't practice against your opponents.

Here is different. People playing ATP. You can practice with them. Karen is always here. There are other Russian guys, they come by, they all say congrats. It's a bit different, yeah, nothing to it.

Q. Daniil, a lot of people in the last few years have been talking about the future of Italian tennis.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Ubaldo was talking about this 100% (laughter).

Q. What does it say about Italian tennis that Matteo, Fabio are here in the ATP Cup final?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, to be honest, Italian tennis is amazing. I think the number of players they have inside the 500 or something like this, maybe they have the most players there. Not hundred percent sure what I'm talking. We see a lot.

I don't know why, what have they been doing right, or it's just luck. I really have no idea about their internal tennis federation and stuff like this. But it's an amazing tennis nation.

They had maybe for sometime just a little bit of a downfall, but just a little one. Now they're back at it, especially Matteo, Fabio playing amazing here.

It's an amazing tennis nation really.

Q. Daniil, how did you stay positive when you were a set and a break down? Sascha is difficult to break.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I didn't stay positive. I was really negative in my mind (smiling).

No, you have to because that's tennis. I knew that, okay, I was close to lose. I think he was 4-3 up.

ANDREY RUBLEV: 3-2.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: 3-2, yeah, yeah.

I mean, when it's against Sascha and you are 6-3, 3-2 break down, many times you're going to lose a match. But I needed to keep my chances alive for the team first of all, for the country. I just tried to stay there, got a bit tight maybe. I just did my job and I'm really happy about it.

Q. Andrey, the match with Fognini, you played six times and you've won once 7-6 in the third. What is it about his game that actually bothers you so much?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, Fabio is really a great player. Everyone knows that he's really talented. When he's at his best, he's really tough to beat him.

Most of the times I played him when I was still a junior. I mean, the last time I think I played him was in Beijing, and he beat me quite easy also.

So we'll see. Now it's going to be interesting. I have nothing to lose. He have all the pressure because he beat me more time than I. In general, we'll see. Now I'm in good form, so we'll see how what's going to happen. It's really going to be interesting for me. It's going to be a challenge for me. I will try to do my best and give my everything tomorrow, then we'll see.

I think it's going to be great match from both of us.