AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 30, 2022

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

R. NADAL/D. Medvedev

2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Hello, guys.

THE MODERATOR: We'll be short tonight. It's late.

Bad luck, Daniil. I'm sure it's hard to analyze, would you have done everything differently during the match? Have you discussed with your coach?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Actually did a little bit. But it's going to be a little bit of a new press conference because I'm going to start with short or long, I don't know. I'll try to keep it short. Story of a young kid who dreamed about big things in tennis.

When I picked up a racquet when I was six years old, I mean, the time goes fast. When I was 12, practicing, playing some Russian tournaments, of course watching Grand Slams on the TV, big stars playing, fans supporting. You dream of being there.

Start playing some tennis Europe tournaments. I actually remember playing Youth Olympic Games, I think it was called like Youth Olympic Festival or whatever. I made final. It was cool. We had like a center court. It was in Turkey. I would say there was maybe thousand people, two thousand. It was really cool, amazing to be there. Those are the moments where you dream of, yeah, bigger stages.

Then I think the big part for every junior is playing in the junior Grand Slam. That's where you can see the pros. At US Open you actually eating in the restaurant with them. Small things like this. There are people coming to support you even if probably they don't really know who you are, but there are people supporting juniors. It's great moments.

That's the moment where you're like, Wow, I want to be there in this Grand Slams playing against the best people in the world.

I remember when I went to US Open, I saw John Isner passing by. I was like, Wow, he's so huge. He's bigger than on the TV. It's just nice moments.

Then I don't know, a lot of futures, a lot of challengers, try to climb your way up. You start playing biggest tournaments. There are some moments in my career where I think this kid was doubting if he should continue to dream about these big things or not.

I remember one. I lost really tough match two times in Roland Garros actually. And I speak French. I feel like in my age I was maybe top five in this moment or something like this, which is not bad. Especially we have a huge generation, as you can see right now, a lot of top-10 players and stuff like this.

I remember I lost to Benjamin Bonzi, who is in top hundred now. There was, if I'm not mistaken, one Russian journalist in the room. I was like, Really? It's a Grand Slam. I think I was close to being top 50, really young. I was like, Okay, that's surprising. I think the journalist was Russian so we talked for five minutes. I like talking to journalists.

I remember a tough loss to Pierre-Hugues Herbert. 2-0 up in the sets. Actually amazing match. He played amazing. And I like these matches, that's why I like tennis.

I was on the edge of breaking top 10. Again, in my age I think I would be like top three, that would probably be Zverev, even maybe top two, Dominic, of course, but he's a little bit older.

I came in the press. I was a little bit, yeah, frustrated with the fans and everything. It's funny because I wanted to keep it short, so I wanted to answer with two words or anything. There was one journalist. I think Italian, he asked me something and I answered two words, no more questions. There were some Russians, they asked me some things. Again, a kid was doubting if he should continue of dreaming big.

I'm not going to explain why exactly, but today during the match I understood that I'm going to play tennis -- actually it's funny. I was talking about journalists, but I really like talking to you guys, I think you can see it. That's not really the point. I'm just talking about few moments where the kid stopped dreaming, and today was one of them. I'm not going to really tell why.

From now on I'm playing for myself, for my family, to provide my family, for people that trust in me, of course for all the Russians because I feel a lot of support there.

I'm going to say it like this. If there is a tournament on hard courts in Moscow, before Roland Garros or Wimbledon, I'm going to go there even if I miss the Wimbledon or Roland Garros or whatever. The kid stopped dreaming. The kid is going to play for himself. That's it. That's my story. Thanks for listening, guys.

Now we can go to questions about tennis or anything.

THE MODERATOR: Any questions in the room?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: About the story, I'm not going to answer questions (smiling).

Q. Daniil, congratulations on what you've achieved.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Thanks a lot, Craig.

Q. What are your feelings right now? You're obviously very disappointed, but is this something that in a couple of days you're going to really appreciate what's been done?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, again, if we talk about tennis, I'm not that disappointed. Like, it was a huge match, for sure some small points, small details that I could have done better if I wanted to win. But that's tennis. That's life.

Was a huge match. Rafa played unreal. Raised his level. I mean, two sets to love up, I was like, C'mon, just go for him, go for more.

In fifth set, I was like make him run. He was unreal. He was really strong, like the way he played, at four hours I was even surprised. But, of course, we know how Rafa can play. He didn't play for six months. He told me after the match that he didn't practice so much. It was unreal.

Talking about tennis, I have not much regrets. I'm going to try to continue my best. Yeah, I'm going to work even harder to try to be, yeah, a champion of some of these great tournaments one day.

But again, I'm not really disappointed with the loss and with my tennis or with anything like this.

Q. The crowd, is that what got you?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I'm not going to answer questions about my story, sorry (smiling).

Q. You come out and hear people booing.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I'm just going to give one small example.

Before Rafa serves even in the fifth set, there would be somebody, and I would even be surprised, like one guy screaming, C'mon, Daniil. A thousand people would be like, Tsss, tsss, tsss. That sound. Before my serve, I didn't hear it. It's disappointing. It's disrespectful, it's disappointing. I'm not sure after 30 years I'm going to want to play tennis.

Q. (No microphone.)

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, again, depends, people around me, what they going to tell me, how we going to go through this journey together.

Again, the kid that was dreaming is not anymore in me after today. It will be tougher to continue tennis when it's like this.

Q. What did you feel changed in your game or in your mind from when you had triple break point in the third set and looked like you were close to putting this match away pretty easy relatively?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, that was a good moment when I had the triple break point.

Actually I don't remember all of them in details, but I remember that all of three returns I made it in. Just got a little bit tight. But, again, that's tennis. Should have done better. Should have hit a winner. Maybe would have won the match.

Tactically nothing changed. I feel like I was playing right. But Rafa stepped up. The only thing, that physically was a little bit up and down, and yeah, he was I think stronger than me physically today. Like starting from the third set, there were some shots and points where I was a little bit on the back foot, let's call it like this. And Rafa takes control of these moments.

But again, yeah, have to work harder.

Q. Congratulations on your tournament.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Thanks a lot.

Q. How much of what you're feeling tonight and the story that you've just told were you feeling before tonight or is it just about tonight?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Not much. As I said, there were some moments in my career where I could adapt. I actually forgot to tell in my story about the kid.

When I also started to get just a little bit higher, like top 20, top 30, started to play Roger, Novak, Rafa. We made some tough matches. I haven't beat them yet. There was a lot of talks. I don't think there is that much right now, but I remember there were a lot of talks, young generation should do better, or there were talks like people saying we really want young generation to go for it, to be better, to be stronger.

I was like pumped up. Yeah, let's try to give them hard time and everything. Well, I guess these people were lying because, yeah, every time I stepped on the court in these big matches, I really didn't see much people who wanted me to win.

Q. It's not just tonight; it's a cumulative?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, it's cumulative. But tonight was the (indiscernible), or how you call it, like the top of the mountain.

Q. Do you think it's about your nationality or because you're younger and not as familiar?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think nationality plays a key. It's just that Russian tennis was a little bit down for some time. I think I'm trying really, I feel there is a lot more buzz about tennis in Russia right now with me, Andrey, Karen, Aslan doing big things. That's great. Hopefully we'll try to get more people to go for us.

But yeah, I can definitely see when you playing somebody from the other country, they would go for them and not for Russian or something like this.

Q. When you came back from two sets down to Felix, you said that you at one time said to yourself you want to think about what Novak would do. You asked yourself what would Novak do. Today, seeing how Rafa came back from two sets down, what do you hope to learn from what he did from that moment on?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, Rafa is a lefty. Next time I'm probably going to say when two sets to love down, Just do it like Rafa did against you.

Yeah, again, the way he played today, I don't even want to say fight. We all know Rafa fights. It's not going to be surprising if I say this, Suddenly, wow, Rafa fighted today in the final of a slam.

The way he managed to play throughout all these sets, even in the tough moments, for him it's for making the history. Even for sure he tries not to think about this, it must have been somewhere in his head.

Huge respect. Yeah, huge respect for beating me because I tried my best. I really tried.

Thank you, guys.

(Applause.)