THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 27, 2021

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Congratulations on your title. I guess that's the perfect way to prepare for Wimbledon.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Thanks a lot. Yeah, definitely. I think the most perfect way would be to win Halle and have one week preparation here for Wimbledon. But we are talking about the most perfect way.

Winning Mallorca, that's why I came here, to try to win some matches, manage to win the tournament. Really important for the confidence to try to find back how you should play on grass, what you should do. Actually final was my best match there.

Feeling confident coming here.

Q. How would you describe the way Novak Djokovic is playing this year and the history he's trying to make?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: He already made history in many ways. Of course, probably he's trying to make something special this year. As much as we know what goals mean to him, how much he can work to achieve them, it also puts pressure. I think Wimbledon, Olympics, and US Open can be fun to watch Novak play because he's going to put everything on himself to try to make it. That's when he's strongest.

At the same time that's a lot of pressure. We're going to try to use it in our advantage.

Q. What goes through your mind when you watch him, the way he's playing this year?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: That's unbelievable. It's unbelievable level. I mean, he's semifinal and final of Roland Garros. I didn't watch the matches full. I saw some parts of them. It's just unbelievable. I mean, to beat Rafa in Roland Garros, then to come back from two sets to Love down in the final against Stefanos, who was I heard playing an unbelievable level of tennis, is something special.

That's why I say he already made history in many ways, just like Rafa and Roger. He can make it one more time. I think nobody's going to be actually surprised.

Q. Could you sort of talk about beating Stan Wawrinka in 2017, what it meant for you, your career, and the confidence you took from it moving forward to rise up the rankings and be where you are?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It was super important because that was my biggest win of my career at the time. Maybe it stayed like this for actually a year or even two years after that. Was my first Grand Slam win also.

For me experience plays a big key. Even the match after I actually lost to Ruben Bemelmans with a tantrum and everything. All of these small details, it's experience. Without these things, I wouldn't be able to go further in slams, to be in my finals and everything, to get the title.

All these matches in all every tournaments, including Wimbledon against Stan, that's what makes me tennis player I am right now. Yeah, just remembering the match, it was amazing. There was no COVID. It was full stadium. I think it was actually Monday, so that's when the No. 1 plays and opens the Centre Court. So was just unbelievable.

Hopefully I can experience some more moments like this on the central court of Wimbledon.

Q. You will play Jan-Lennard Struff in the opening. You met him at Halle. What were your thoughts when you saw the draw? What does it take to beat him this time?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, it's definitely a tough draw. Jan is a tough opponent, especially on grass. He's a danger to top players. He can beat top players. He proved it many times.

What is positive is that in Halle I was far from my best level and I still had chances to close out the first set. Of course, second set he was better than me. So I'm really happy that I managed to come to Wimbledon with a lot of confidence behind my back. That's what can help me to try to beat him.

Of course, if I show good tennis, it's not going to be easy for him. If he shows good tennis and serves good, it's not going to be easy for me. It can be a good match. Hopefully I can be the winner.

Again, very tough opponent and very good player and very good person.

Q. Losing early in Halle, then winning yesterday, where do you feel overall that places you with this Wimbledon and how important is it, bearing in mind when you just said, to have faced a big server in the final yesterday and then to have already faced Struff, had a taste of his game on grass? When you look at all that, where do you think it actually places you for this Wimbledon?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, this is actually funny. When Sam played Mannarino, I didn't know who was going to be my opponent. At least if I play Sam, it's going to be kind of the same game as Struff. No matter the result, it's going to prepare me a little bit for the first round.

Yeah, I'm really happy I managed to win quite easy in two sets. They have similar game styles. But I think Jan is a little better at the net, but maybe Sam is serving a bit better.

Playing Jan in Halle actually helps before this first round because it can give me some small advices with experience of maybe what I should do different in any moments.

As I said, winning the title just before a Grand Slam is always a good thing. Unless you got injured there or something, which is definitely not the case. I'm feeling a hundred percent fit physically and ready to face Jan-Lennard on Tuesday.

Q. What makes you love grass so much?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: To be honest, almost everything. Just the bad bounces sometimes can be tough. That's the only thing (smiling).

I like to feel being on grass. You can lay down, you can jump for the ball, you can sit on the grass. You don't need to sit on the chair. It's actually relaxing to be on the grass, especially when it's good weather, the sun is shining. Of course, it suits my game very well. After all the things I said, talking about tennis, for my strokes, for my serve, even for my return, the grass suits me very well.

What is not easy with the grass is you have to adapt a lot to it. That's what I managed to do. Hopefully that's what can help me.