MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

March 31, 2022

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

H. HURKACZ/D. Medvedev

7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Bad luck, Daniil. We saw you struggled a little bit out there. Can you tell us a little bit more.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, all the match I was not feeling my best. But, you know, sometimes it happens. Some days you feel -- physically, I'm talking -- sometimes you feel better, sometimes a little bit worse. Like after the tough points, I felt that my breath was not recovering fast enough.

But, okay, as I say, it can happen sometimes. You just fight and it gets better during the match. And second set, at just one moment I just felt strange. I not often feel like this, but sometimes it happens when it's hot.

So don't know the actual reason. Maybe the heat. But, yeah, I was feeling super, like, dizzy, tired, and there was this long game where I couldn't serve anymore.

Then, yeah, in the locker room was cramping quite much, so physically was not easy. But at the same time, yeah, that's part of the game.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Were you also feeling nauseous or sick during the match? What did the doctor give you? Looked like he gave you a couple of tablets. Was it aspirin or something?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, actually not sure. I think it would be some electrolytes or something. It was really fast, because we didn't want to interrupt the play, because I know the physio cannot do anything. He's not going to come and mess your head.

So, yeah, he just came in, gave me something. You never know. Maybe it's going to be a magic thing that will work. Of course doesn't work like this.

But, yeah, I just usually, for this kind of stuff, I don't even call for the physio because there is nothing to do. But I was feeling really not good, so I was like, yeah, I need to try maybe to do something. Who knows? Well, it was not enough, because next two games I lost.

Q. How do you feel now?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Tired, like better. As I said, at one moment I was sitting in the locker room, was just tired, and usually when it's like this, sometimes I just sit, a little bit disappointed also, just sit.

I started cramping, so the physio came in and said, Let's walk and go in the shower. I went faster than I wanted to and felt a little bit better straightaway.

I mean, as I say, you know, sometimes it happens, so I know how it's going to be. Like tonight I'm going to be tired. Next morning you wake up and everything is fine, but you're out of the tournament, so...

Hopefully it's going to hurt a little bit tomorrow like this. I can say, yeah, even the next day it was not easy.

Q. Obviously you had the chance to get back to No. 1. Was that on your mind maybe more than normal when you came into the match, feeling pressure maybe a little bit more maybe?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: To be honest, consciously, no. Yeah, I know that Hubert can play great tennis. For me was more important in a way just to win the match itself than to become a No. 1 by winning the match. I saw it more as a bonus.

So I don't feel like I was tight or anything because of this. To be honest, I played a lot of matches where I had the pressure, different one, and it's not like something new happened today in terms of like going out of court and feeling crazy tight or something.

So I don't think that nerves were part of this.

Q. I was wondering if I can ask you where are you going from here? What is your plan moving forward? Also, if you could just sort of reflect on the last month you have been here. Must be a strange time frankly to be a Russian in America, and sort of what's that experience been like for you the last few weeks?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah. I mean, right now going home, recover and get ready for clay season probably. Yeah, last month I don't think was easy for anybody. I just tried to practice as much as I can, to practice good, because that's my job. I tried to play some good tennis.

I'm kind of happy about the tournament in Miami in a way of tennis, because I think this surface and these balls, these two tournaments, were definitely not for me, like I was struggling, like it was painful to play mentally. I managed in Miami to find just a little spark to try to make it work.

Today was not enough, but yeah, I'm happy that I saw that I'm able to do it, but yeah, not good enough. And so actually, yeah, that was, in terms of tennis, was not easy also.

Q. You said you were cramping in the locker room. Did you need IVs or anything like that? Or did they go away on their own?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I was drinking a lot. But, yeah, I mean, there was a physio and the doctor. Again, they are not magicians, nothing they can do. So they just said, Drink.

Doctor gave me some more electrolytes and pills. Yeah, I took it, drank a lot, went shower, and they just went away a little bit.

I think, yeah, it was good advice to stand up, because I was like sitting down, really tired, and then suddenly every muscle just went cramp, cramp, cramp, cramp. I was like a fish on the sofa.

Yeah, as I say, you know, it's nothing serious. In the evening you are going to feel better already and gonna be even a little bit like maybe I could have pushed myself more or something, but yeah, not really. I always try to push myself to the limits either on practice or on the match.

Sometimes physically I'm not, yeah, the strongest guy on tour. Yeah, I'm trying, I'm working, and I'm sure I'm going to become even better.

Q. Since the final in Australia, do you feel you had lost confidence or maybe your performance had changed?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think first tournament in Acapulco was not easy in terms of sensations, like of everything after what happened in Australia, which I think made a consequence about Indian Wells a little bit, like I was not feeling in the right direction in my tennis. And at the same time was trying to find this direction.

Here, as I say, I feel like I found the right direction of where I can win tournaments, I can win a lot of matches against tough opponents.

But then, yeah, again, it comes to I met Hubert who is a great player, and I feel like -- I like watching him on TV. I should watch my matches against him, because I never did. But I have the feeling playing against him he doesn't play like this against other players.

Like against me, he doesn't miss. First serves, 133 on the line. Some matches I look, the ones he lost, and he doesn't play like this. I don't know why.

So, yeah, I think first, as I say, first few tournaments were not easy, but I'm in the right direction so it's good.