US OPEN

September 7, 2021

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/B. Van De Zandschulp

6-3, 6-0, 4-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Your thoughts on another big victory as you advance forward.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, of course. First of all, really happy to be in the semis again, third time in a row. Well, couldn't dream of it maybe four years ago, but now it's three.

Yeah, about the match, tough match. First two sets were kind of under control. He was missing some balls, some important points. So was feeling easy, I should say.

Then third and fourth set was really tough. He played top level, served really big. Was breaking the rhythm a little bit, so was really tough set. I'm really happy that in the fourth I managed to, first of all, hold my serve really easily and managed to break him in the end where I had few opportunities to do before also.

Yeah, really good tactical match and I liked it. Very good.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. As you said, it's your third straight semis. How do you think, having had that experience now, that will help you get to the final and of course try to win the final?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I always said that experience helps me. So you never know, because you're gonna play tough opponents, semis or final. Who knows? Maybe Novak. But first of course Felix or Carlos. Whoever wins gonna be on huge fire. You know they are much younger than even me, even. I'm not old (smiling).

But for them it's going to be a first semis of a slam. You know, experience is not everything, because, for example, when I was in my first semis of a slam, I won it. Doesn't mean if you're there for the first time you're gonna lose it.

But I like that I have this experience. I know how is it. I'm not gonna be tight. I know that, yeah. After, it's a question about tennis. If I play good, it's going to be not easy for my opponent. That's the most important thing I'm gonna try to do.

Q. You mentioned Djokovic. Do you have to make sure not to think about him as you're going through each round focusing on what you have to do?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I don't think about him, because as we saw, anybody can beat anybody. If he's in the final, and if I'm there, I'm happy. He's also happy, I guess. So, yeah, every time, you know, because he plays on the days where I don't play, I watch his matches just because I enjoy watching tennis.

Yeah, that's it. You know, same today, for example. I'm not going to root or cheer for somebody. I'm just gonna enjoy the tennis and then prepare for the winner. It's same every match.

Q. The next opponent you're going to have is going to be the first man born in the 2000s to reach this far in a tournament. You joked after your win that you're not next generation anymore, but how do you feel about playing these younger type of kids now? What are you seeing in this next generation coming up? Feels like here at the Open a lot of teens on both sides, women's and men's, are really making a push.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's great, because if we talk, because I cannot talk of course about Carlos, would be tougher for me to talk, I'm not on their tour, but talking about Carlos, you know, we heard talking about him last year already, there is this young Spanish guy coming up, a lot of course people talking about him as a new Rafa and whatever, and it's all too soon, and, yeah, too young and too soon.

And then he's in the quarters here. Who knows? He can win today. He can be in semis. I mean, as soon as you're in quarters, you can do anything. You can win the tournament.

So it's great for him. I mean, 18 years old. When I was 18, I was barely playing futures and trying to pass the first round.

I think it's great for tennis, it's great for him. After, you never know how your career gonna go, if you're gonna win 20 slams or maybe one or maybe zero.

Same with Felix. He's already here for long time, so great for him to be doing these steps. He made two quarters in a row. Let's see who wins today.

Q. How hard has it been for your generation or younger generations to break through, because the guys at the top have been so legendary for so long.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, of course now Rafa and Roger, as we see, are getting a little bit older, playing a little bit less tournaments, more injured.

Before it was even tougher, because, yeah, it depends which breakthrough you're talking about. To be in the top 100 or top 10 or top 5. So before the top 5 was basically taken by three of them. So there were two spots left. That's where it was really tough, because if you talk about the top 100, then probably doesn't matter if it's Roger on the top or Medvedev or Zverev, because, well, you need to beat other guys on challengers, not talking about the legends before.

So, yeah, that's the biggest difference I feel like, of course, and it's normal to talk about, and now it's a bit easier than it was before to be No. 2, 3, or 4 in the world. Same time, it's still very tough, and that's where the difference is, yes.

Q. I want to ask about your return game, how you figure out where you stand, because you stand so far deep into the court. What does that do for you? Is it different here on Ashe where you have so much more room than maybe Centre Court or Chatrier?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, first of all, I like when you have room for the return, because like this, I have the option to go back. There are few center courts where I cannot do it. Of course when I was ranked lower, that's where you have to play, on the outside courts. That's where you don't have this opportunity.

That's not good. I was not feeling good, because I could lose matches just because I felt like I was, if I can say, discriminated that I couldn't use my position on the return.

You know, if you see all of my matches sometimes, I change it up. Depends the opponent. Being far back just gives me time to react to the serve. That's as easy as that.

Of course it needs practice, so that's why at practice I'm trying to do both. I'm trying to do everything to be ready to use it. For example, Australian Open when I made final, I was returning much closer to the line just because I felt that was working better.

Yeah, it depends on the opponent, and if it's working, I like to return from the back, yeah.

Q. Obviously you don't know who you're playing. Can you first look at what you have to do against Felix and then what you have to do if it's Carlos?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think they actually play very similar games, so I do think I can talk about them as one player, I would say, because both, you know, try to turn around with a forehand but have very, very good backhands where they try to also accelerate the ball. It's not like you play on their backhand and you know, okay, it's easy, you can have some time to breathe.

Both try to take the ball early on the return, also trying to pressure. As I say, I'm going to be interested to see the match, because I do think their game is really similar. I mean, what I have to do, of course I'm gonna talk about this later with my coach, but in general against these guys, yeah, should try to not give them all the time they want, otherwise they are gonna destroy you.

Q. Now that you have been here several times this deep in a major, what's the greatest lesson you have sort of taken from all those experiences late in these tournaments?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Different ones, because if we talk about the match against Rafa, there is not really a lesson, but just to live this match was special. That's where I felt like, okay, no, I was kind of upcoming, on fire, these things with the crowd. I would have lost this match in three straight sets, you never know, you know. Who knows? Maybe I got a bit lucky being there. Djokovic, Federer actually lost the match before I played them.

And bringing that far, I kind of understood, okay, well, I almost beat Rafa, being two sets down and a break, so, well, I do belong here.

And last year against Dominic, if I talk about a lesson, it was more how to play him. I was kind of not ready this match -- when I say "not ready," of course I prepared it well. It's just that he played really great level and I couldn't find a solution, which I took a lesson and I tried to do better in the Nitto ATP Finals. Even if it was super tough, there was a lesson.

There's no Dominic here, no Rafa, so I'm just going to try to play my best and see which other lessons I can take.

Q. A bit of an off-topic question. You have mentioned you're quite a hockey fan. Curious what got you into the sport and what qualities, I guess, do you see in the players that you sort of apply to yourself on the tennis court?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Wow, to be honest, about qualities, I don't know. I'm not gonna answer this question. I just like watching it. It's just a great sport (smiling).

Yeah, definitely the thing I can say about hockey, different to other sports, because other sports they are so, they are such good cameras and such good replays and everything that I actually feel really good watching on my sofa and relaxing. Hockey is not the thing, when I watch it on TV, I actually cannot understand -- not that I cannot understand, but I cannot see the puck, so it's not easy.

And when I watch it live, I have done it two times, that's super fun and super enjoyable. Hopefully many more times in my life I'm gonna watch hockey live.

Q. Frances Tiafoe mentioned after his last match that without the veterans like Nadal and Federer in the locker room that there is a kind of different atmosphere. Can you confirm this, especially the younger guys are thinking they have more self-confidence in theirself?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I don't feel it. I think it's more, for me, because everybody can have different opinions, completely normal, so everybody talks what he feels, but for me it's actually more about that when they were a bit younger or even few years ago, we always saw them in semis.

So again, it's all about they were in the top four so they couldn't meet each other before semis, and almost all the Grand Slams they were in semis. So they were taking all the spots, just because they are the greatest in the history of tennis. They are amazing tennis players.

Of course the fact that, for example, this US Open they are injured, before there was, let's say, one or two spots left in the semifinals if someone would have done amazing five-set match to beat them, now it's three spots if we say Novak is in the semis, which still of course he has to fight to.

So just definitely opens up places for new guys. But then, for example, talk about me, I'm really happy that I managed to make it to three straight semifinals US Open where, well, can we say also that I took this one spot all the time? It's a question of level, of tennis abilities and everything.

So for me, I don't feel the change of the energy, again, talking for myself, I always try to do my best. I don't care if Roger or Rafa is here. I want to win the tournament. It's going to be tougher if they were here, and of course it would be tougher if they would be 30 years old. But I just want to do my best, so I don't care if they are here or not.