US OPEN

September 3, 2022

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/Wu Yibing

6-4, 6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Three sets, under two hours. You have to feel good.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, to be honest I felt like it was a high-level match because he played great. The only thing he's lacking is serve to be like top 10, top 20 in the future. He was playing good. Returns were unbelievable. When he was on the ball, one of the best I ever saw. Again, when he's on the ball... It's important also to not get aces.

But yeah, pretty happy with my level. Some long rallies. Not that much unforced errors. Finally managed to beat a strong opponent and really happy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Are you a candidate to win the tournament? I think you are playing better each match.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I 100% agree with you. If you ask me what I could improve, I don't see many things. Maybe a little bit less double-faults, but that's if we're trying to dig somewhere. If not, high-level match.

If I continue this way, have good opportunities to do something big. But the next match is not easy. For sure focus on this one. Going to try to recover well and be 100% for the next one.

Q. What are your thoughts going into the next one? How significant was the last meeting in Montreal?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think quite important. It was not that long ago. We both kind of know what to expect right now. He managed to get the better of me there, for sure, especially I would say in terms of clutch moments. He broke me three times. I had two opportunities in the same game. Didn't break. It was quite important in the beginning of the third set.

If not, I felt like it was a close match where everybody had his opportunities. In a way everybody could win. I shouldn't say this because I lost, but I felt it was close. That's the most important coming into tomorrow.

I kind of know what I have to do. Serve well, try to get to the tiebreak, try to get opportunities on his serve. He also knows what he will do. He serves big. He's playing good so far. I watched his matches. Concentrated. First one was not easy. Won in three sets.

Definitely looking forward. Hopefully can play my best game.

Q. Am I right in thinking you know Nick quite well off the court? What have your interactions been like?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: We're fine. I don't think we are friends. I don't think he thinks the same. When I say 'friends', we haven't been to the bar together (smiling).

I feel like we respect each other a lot. On the court also we never really had any fight or anything, which can change any moment. We are both quite electric. You never know what's going to happen in the future.

Yeah, for now a lot of respect. From what I feel he respects me. I respect him for that. I respect him for what he does. Even if sometimes people can criticize me or him, I have always been in my life - what did I want to say? It's so late, I lost what I wanted to say.

I respect no matter how he is. Nick is a little bit different from other tennis players sometimes on the court. That's his choice. That's his life. I'm not the one to judge. I feel a lot of respect for him.

Q. Regarding Nick, would you say you're surprised, impressed about the way he has turned his career around in the last three months, become professional about the work he's doing?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: To be honest, yes. When I say this, we all knew that he's capable of doing big things. I mean, one of the best serves I saw in my life. I played Ivo. Ivo has definitely amazing serve. Nick is not far. Capable of serving 140 miles per hour if he wants to. Pretty precise. We always knew on a day he's capable of beating anybody. He proved it many, many times against the biggest players in the world.

For sure, especially with COVID, he was a little bit going downhill. When somebody is like this, you don't know when to expect a comeback, or to expect one. So I'm definitely surprised, and the same time we could think that it's going to happen.

So congrats to him. He seems concentrated about his career. I feel like sometimes he doesn't want to show it too much. But that's what I feel, he wants to be a little bit serious professional. That's great for him and great for tennis.