THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 1, 2021

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/C. Alcaraz

6-4, 6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. The moment after the first set when you touched your ear, you asked for a little bit more from the crowd a couple of times. It did sound like they were keener on Carlos than you. You seemed to enjoy the pantomime villain role.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: First of all, I like to interact with the fans. I feel like British fans in Wimbledon are the most - how you can call it - rational ones because they don't really have the favorites, except of course Rafa, Roger, and Novak, which is completely normal. They go for everybody.

That's actually why I was kind of surprised. I felt like we had good points and they were supporting me a lot. But then there were a lot of people on double-faults and stuff like this, real easy mistakes. After I won the first set, it was an important moment, it was a breakpoint. I think he missed a shot. I was like, Okay, now what's the difference? That was the case.

Again, they support everybody very well. That's why I like Wimbledon.

Q. About the conditions on No. 1 today. There's been a lot of talk this week about the grass and the courts. How did you find it in terms of your footing and the pace of the court itself?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Today was perfect. Actually, again, I'm on a streak. I didn't fall down yet once this grass court season. I want to continue it.

But first match with Jan-Lennard with the roof closed, humidity and rain. The court was super slippery, which I find quite normal. What do you want from grass?

Today was hot, dry conditions in a way, so was not slippery at all, at least for me. I was moving great, feeling great. Not much to say.

Talking about is it fast or slow? The grass, as we all know, is getting slower and slower. Except the serve, it's pretty slow, I would say. Still, if you manage to make a good, flat strike, it still can slide on the ground.

Q. Talking about your interaction with the crowd, is that something you feel you need to do to bring out the best in you as a tennis player? There's a long history of players who've done well here interacting like that before.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, I definitely can do well without it also (smiling). I have already the examples.

But, again, yeah, I like to interact with the crowd. It was nothing against them. It was to try to pump them up a little bit on my side also. I think it worked.

Actually, I think some of the fans got angry. When I say 'some', like maybe 10 people behind my right ear. I was hearing them all the match later, but it was even fun. The rest of the crowd, I felt like they enjoyed the match. That's the most important.

Q. If the seedings go through as planned, you'll meet Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. He said this morning that he's not here for quarterfinals or semifinals, he's here to win the tournament. That's his mindset now. Is that the same for you too?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Every tournament I play since I'm a junior, I try to win. Sometimes you know maybe when you are, I don't know, top 60 in the world, you're just coming up, you feel like maybe, I'm not going to win a Grand Slam this week.

Me, Sascha, Stefanos, Roger, Novak, Rafa, I think all the top 10 guys have the feeling they're capable to do it because we're all in semis, finals. Sascha almost won his slam in US Open. I was in two finals. We all know we are capable to go far. I think that's the mindset of everybody.

But then you need to take it match by match. If you lose third round you're not going to be in the final.

Q. I'm writing a story today about Alexander Bublik, who won over Dimitrov. You played him first round in Paris. Obviously you're a similar generation, Russian guys. What do you make of him as a player and person, personality? What makes him interesting from your perspective?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, he's definitely interesting. I think both for tennis and in life, I find him interesting. We can interact. I remember we actually went from Nice to St. Petersburg this year with a stop in Istanbul. We were talking nonstop during the flight.

Yeah, he's a fun guy. Again, really easy to interact and really interesting person to speak with. On the court he's different from everybody. Maybe kind of similar to Nick, but I find him different and maybe a bit more serious to tennis. But, yeah, I'm not going to comment on this part of side because I'm completely different, talk about tennis.

Again, he's a super different from everybody and that's what makes him so interesting.

Q. Can you expand, what you mean by 'different'? What does he do that's not as normal as the average player?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: He goes for crazy shots maybe when there is no need to. But that's how he is. There are not many players like this. Like if you talk about me, I could do tweeners all day long when I have 5-1 today or something like this. But I'm just too focused. I want to win the next point, I want to win the next game.

Yeah, when we played in Roland Garros, I remember he made an underarm serve, which he always does on the breakpoint. He won the point. All these small things. He has a crazy talent, crazy touch since he was a young kid. As you said, we knew each other for a long time. He was always going for these type of shots.

He doesn't care if some people will not like him for this. That's what I like in him. That's why he's also different, because so many players nowadays, maybe including me, think, If I'm going to do this, there is going to be 10 comments after the match that he shouldn't have done it. We all think about it. He doesn't. That's what makes him different.

Q. It's possible you'll be playing Marin Cilic next. What do you remember from when he won the US Open, one of the rare non-big three guys to win a major? How would you describe him as an opponent?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, first of all, Marin is a great champion definitely. It's not an easy draw. He was in the final here in Wimbledon, almost beat Roger, was close. Tough draw, tough opponent. Huge respect to him.

I think, if I'm not mistaken, I was playing futures in France in a town called Mulhouse where I won doubles with Karen Khachanov, if I'm not mistaken. I might be. That's when he won the US Open, so I didn't see the matches.

I remember it was huge. He beat basically Kei in the final. I think in semis he beat -- who did he beat? I don't remember. Roger, Rafa? Roger, I guess.

Anyway, it was amazing because he was one of not so many to win a major in the era of the big four where they were on top. This is a huge achievement. That's why I have a lot of respect to him, for him.

We're all different. I was crazy. Rublev was crazy if you talk about tennis court. Actually I think till some part, till some

Q. Having grown up with so many of these kids in Russian tennis, how much have the personalities of these players changed and how much are they still the same people when they were 12 years old?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: We're definitely all different from what we were. But, of course, in some ways we are still the same. It's about being more mature. I won't say the names, but some of us were really cocky when we were young. I think that's not the case any more. Again, I didn't say the names (laughter). age, me and Rublev were not really friends, not at all enemies, but not like close friends. Now we really are.

Everything changes. Life changes. We're all really different. When you talk about tennis, there is always something that stays with you from the early ages.

Q. With the Russian players who go to Kazakhstan, what is the perception of that in Russia? There were a lot.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, definitely a lot. There were a lot, I think maybe minimum 10 players doing it.

I mean, that's because Russian Federation maybe doesn't help from one point of view, doesn't help enough the younger players. At the same time, even if they do, Kazakhstan is capable of bringing the better conditions, one thing better than what Russia is, and that's how they can get the players.

Me personally, of course, I had opportunities when I came to the top - I didn't play for Davis Cup yet - to try something new. I never wanted to. I always felt Russian. I wanted to represent Russia and not any other country.

But it can be different for some other players for some different reasons because maybe somebody would not survive. I think Kukushkin's case, he would not make a tennis career if they didn't take him.

That's a huge deal and I will never judge it.