ROLAND GARROS

May 26, 2022

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/L. Djere

6-3, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Another straight-set win. Do you think your level was better in the second round?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I honestly think I played better first round, but it was a great match, especially physically was a great test. 2 hours 35, three sets, a lot of long games, long rallies.

Finally, I don't know exactly what Laslo had but he seemed to be struggling a little bit in the third set. I was, like, well, that's good that today I was better than him physically, which will not be the case all the time.

Yeah, I'm happy about my performance, with my level. Definitely need to play better next rounds, because, yeah, it's going to be tougher and tougher.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. If you say you felt the first round was a little bit better, what was the difference? What do you think was better in the first round compared to today?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Felt that my ball was heavier first round, but today coming on the center court I warmed up with Botic and even he said the same, I don't know why, but it was super wet. Maybe it was raining a little bit either at night or in the morning. When it's wet the balls get heavy after like two shots.

That's what I felt today during the match, that I couldn't really make the ball, you know, go through the air fast. So a lot of balls. I was just trying to put it in, running, running, running. So that's where I think it could be better, because again, the better, the tougher guys you play, the less they gonna miss and more you have to run and more it's going to be tough.

That's where I could be better and that's what I managed to do well in the first round. Maybe it's the conditions; maybe it's me. Gonna work tomorrow a little bit on the practice courts and try to be better for next round.

Q. You don't have the same relationship with the Australian Open crowd than with the French Open crowd. Why is that, do you think? You speak French, it's a big factor here, but is there any other thing that makes it different?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, no, talking about Australian crowd, it was just this year. If not, usually I'm super happy to come to Australia, play there. Let's see how it's going to be next year.

Maybe again, I know I did some mistakes also. It's not like they just chose me and said, We're going to be against him.

With French crowd also it was up and down sometimes. I played, I think three first times I lost in Roland Garros was against French guys, and it was tough. They were definitely not cheering for me. Playing, yeah, playing against a French guy in Roland Garros is one of the toughest things in tennis.

Yeah, but same. You know, first I didn't like -- not that I didn't like playing in France, but I didn't have good results. Now I manage to win Bercy, Marseilles tournament, was in the final last year, quarters in Roland Garros, so I love playing in France.

Sometimes you need time to adapt.

Q. When the Netflix show was first announced in Australia, you weren't planning to be involved. It seems like for the viewer that would be a shame if you weren't a part of it. They seem to be filming with a lot more players now than they were originally. Just wondered if your position on it had changed.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Not yet. I'm not going to be there yet. I think they still filmed one practice with Casper Ruud in Australia. I think it was quite fun. Let's see if it's going to be 10 seconds or 30 seconds, because usually they need a lot of shooting to get the time.

I honestly think it's going to be great, because, I mean, let's be honest, all the documentaries I watch on Netflix, I'm watching them after practices, when I'm eating breakfast, stuff like this. They are great. I'm sure it's going to be really good.

But, yeah, it's so far I decided not to this year. I think I'm gonna do it once, but yeah, this year, especially because it started in Australia, I was really tired after last season, and you have to dedicate to them. It's not like, Well, okay, guys, follow me.

You have to be ready for what they are doing, and I was not. I'm still not. But I'm sure I will do it one day.

Q. I just wanted to ask you about your relationship with clay now. You spoke about, even today, that figuring out the surface even during practice and then in the match, you were down a break very early in the match. Where are you in terms of understanding the surface?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, today was a very clay court match, because there were some, I mean, a lot of breakpoints, and I felt till the end of the match that it's never over, you know. On hard courts it's also never over, but you're like you have a 5-3, sometimes on the return game you are maybe not going to go for some crazy movements. You're going to prepare for your serve more. On clay that doesn't work like this. You have to fight for every point no matter the score.

Again, I mean, not gonna lie, I prefer hard courts. I think I can play better there. That's why I can preserve my body there, quite important for a tennis player.

But when I am on clay courts, I want to win. That's the most important. Not gonna say I love it, but, yeah, trying to figure out how to do good results on clay.

Q. I have heard that you've got a fear of spiders. Is that true? What is your biggest fear: Spiders or losing in the early rounds of Roland Garros? How do you manage fear in a match situation?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I think fear is one of the toughest emotions in people's life, because a lot of mistakes we do in life is because we are scared of something. That's how I think.

And yeah, I'm a little bit scared of spiders, but I need to say I was much more scared when I was 10 or 12. When you grow up you need to sometimes face your fears.

I never saw tarantula, so I think I'm going to be scared if I see one. I'm not any more scared of small spiders.

Yeah, fear is actually what we can feel every day in tennis. You're scared to lose. Sometimes you are scared what people gonna think about you. You know, so for example, I was No. 1 in the world for two weeks, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not scared if people going to say, Well, yeah, it doesn't matter, you were only two weeks. But you can be scared of this.

I think in every sport, especially the higher you get, the more you can have this situation. I try to work hard on, you know, not being scared of anything and just learning, even if I do mistakes, not being scared to repeat them but try not to repeat them.

So, yeah, to be honest, I'm not scared of much right now in my life.

Q. I'd like to know, apparently this week there are a lot of meetings, tournament directors, ATP, tomorrow Wimbledon's chairman is coming and so on. Are you aware of anything which is going on or not, being you are future No. 1 in the world without playing maybe, and what do you expect? Because yesterday Djokovic said that PTPA has reason to exist because you players are many times not aware of what's going on. I would like to know if you are aware or not and what do you expect it may change something? They are talking about reducing prize money. They are talking about points, maybe they come back half of it. They freezed... What do you know? Is Djokovic right when he says that most players don't know what was going on and you should be informed, and you especially being a top player, you should be informed of what's going on?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's not an easy question, because in a way, I'm in a situation like you also, because same, you know, for example, I didn't know the chairman of Wimbledon is coming tomorrow. I don't know which meetings is he gonna have and what he's gonna do, what he's gonna decide, I have no idea.

What Novak is saying, I think he's right in a way, because I knew a little bit, I'm not in the council, so right now, tennis structure is that the council is the most important. I think it's maybe 8, 10 players, I'm not sure.

They have to, you know, communicate to other players, yeah, about what they are doing.

I think it's a tricky situation, because if you come and talk to the council players, they are going to be super happy to answer all your questions, but sometimes we as players, we don't have much free time. Same, me, about anybody, we don't have time to come and talk to them.

They also, because they still play tennis don't have time to come and talk to all of us. They cannot come to 100 players, spend 10 hours per day explaining the situation.

So I was a little bit aware before the decision of ATP that this could be a possibility, but I knew, as you guys, when the ATP announced it, I was, like, Okay, it's official. Right now I don't know what's gonna happen.

You know, my main job is to play tennis, try to get points here as much as I can. Again, I'm gonna repeat again, if I can play Wimbledon, will be happy to be there, even without points. With points, will be happy to be there and try to get some points. If I cannot play, I'm gonna stay home, practice hard, and try to be better for my next tournaments.

Yeah, that's all I have to say right now.

Q. I'm wondering, during the course of a tournament, how much are you paying attention to what's going on with other players? We have had past couple of days couple interesting matches, Tsitsipas going five, Alcaraz and Zverev both having match points against them before coming through in five. Are you paying any attention? Are you seeing that and saying, Oh, I've got to stay on my toes, because look at the kinds of things that can happen? I'm wondering how much are you looking at those things and paying attention, and does it affect you in any way?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I'm following all the matches, because I like tennis, I like to watch tennis. Especially when I'm in the tournament I like to put myself in this, let's say, tennis zone where I watch, when I'm with the physio, when I'm at home, I watch all the matches when I'm -- you know, I'm just checking the scores, because, yeah, a lot of interesting matches. Especially yesterday I think, if I'm not mistaken, three guys from Love-2 went back to win the match.

Tsitsipas also, only thing that in my hotel room, I don't have Eurosport, so I cannot watch the night session matches, because, well, I'm watching something on the laptop just to relax, and I put tennis on the TV as a background.

If I put Amazon on my laptop I'm not going to be able to watch what I'm watching on the laptop, and on the TV I'm not gonna have something relaxing for me. So I'm not watching the nine-hour matches.

If not, yeah, I like to follow tennis, less than when I'm not on the tournament because I like to focus just on personal life, whatever makes me happy.

When I'm in the tournament I put myself in the zone, I watch all the matches and I like to follow. I don't care a little bit about the result. Just want to watch and see who wins.

Q. How aware are you when you're walking on the court on whether you are going to have a good day or a bad day? You said the balls were, you noticed they were heavy. But, you know, do you feel it in your legs, as well? What are you thinking?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think, I don't know what other players, especially, let's say, top players, Rafa, Novak, everybody has different perception of things. If I have to talk for myself, before the match, I don't know how it's gonna go.

Like when I say how it's going to go, I know I have to fight my best. Maybe I'm going to have amazing day where everything goes on the line. Well, I know my level that if it's like this, I have big chance to win the match, no matter the surface, but especially on hard courts.

But definitely there are some days where you step on the court, everything was good before, and you just cannot make it. Yeah, that's where it's not easy, that's where you have to fight.

I remember very well the match against Hubert in Wimbledon last year, I played really well, I think, the day before the rain -- I mean the day we started play, and we finished like 4-3 for him, I think he had one breakpoint in the match which he didn't do. Rain. We go on center court next day. I have no idea what happened, I couldn't put the ball in the court anymore. He had breakpoints first game when we came back, 6-3, had breakpoints first game on my serve in the fifth set, I managed to hold it, and still he was all over me, and I couldn't make one ball in the court.

Answering your question, me, I don't know how it's going to go before the match.