US OPEN

August 29, 2022

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/S. Kozlov

6-2, 6-4, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Straight sets. Take us through the match, your thoughts on how your opening round went.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, first match, never easy. Stefan, it may seem for sure from the first sight he doesn't have any amazing shot but yet he's close to top 100. He's a great player, and I know him since juniors.

He's always tough to beat, so I'm happy that I managed to find the right rhythm today. I feel like I was serving not bad. My shots were not so bad. Few unforced errors here and there, but especially the third set was the best set from me.

Yeah, pretty happy with the outcome and with the match itself.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Curious what you made of the conditions out there today. Seems like the courts are playing pretty quick, especially on the outer courts. What about Ashe?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, for me US Open was always quick. The only time I felt it a little bit slow when I came here for quallies but I didn't have yet the opportunity to play on the biggest stages of the world, so every court I was playing was pretty fast because many challenger, futures are played on fast surfaces. We were playing at night. I felt like it was super slow. I guess it was the wrong feeling.

Yeah, so the courts feel pretty fast. It was pretty hot today and humid. I see the other guys coming from five-setters in the locker room, pretty red faces. That's also fun in a way sometimes to get through these conditions. Even today, the match was maybe not that intensive and long, but, yeah, I sweated a lot and it was not easy.

Q. I saw an interview with you about what had happened in Australia and what you could do to change the fans' reception of you. When Stefan hit you with a volley, you made a point of shaking his hand. Did that play into -- the crowd really appreciated that moment.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, the thing about hitting -- I mean, he didn't hit me, but like went at me. It depends, in my opinion, the energy with which you do it.

Because I remember, for example, one point was Paris Bercy, I also do it sometimes because few times when you go for the dropshot, especially against top opponents, first of all, usually they are going to choose one side where they are going to go, so if you go middle you're actually not going to go on them, and I played Sascha Zverev, the one I won 6-2, 6-2, it was beginning of second set, and I didn't go for him but I went into the middle quite strong. He managed to win the point and he was not happy. I was like, Sorry, congrats for winning the point. At least you won the point.

It has a story if somebody hits you and turns his head away and continues to walk with his head up, it's a little bit disrespectful and disgusting, I would say.

Stefan was kind of a point where he touched the let so I made a little bit tricky shot, and I watched it even on the replay, I don't think he was going to hit me, and straightaway he was like, Sorry, man. So that's fine. It is what it is. If you would do it and turn his head away, I would not be happy.

Q. What's your approach to the mental side of being the defending champion? To what degree do you want to carry over memories of last year and to what degree do you want to forget about them?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, definitely don't want to forget about them. I mean, a little bit extra pressure but mostly, I mean, I don't feel it, to be honest. Like for sure I want to play good.

Probably the only pressure is that I know if I'm not gonna play good here for whatever reason, that people might say, Yeah, defending champion lost, whatever. I'm not really sensible to this. Like, I know what I have to do. I know that I want to play well and if I don't do it, I will not care that I won it last year, I will just be disappointed that this year didn't work out my way.

And for sure it gives me a lot of confidence, because I always played good here. I remember last year were some crazy matches. I mean, to be honest, all of them were really high level from me. That's what I want to continue doing this year. Always loved playing in US Open, so I want to continue love playing this year.

Q. We are obviously in tough times. The situation in Ukraine just goes on and on. In Indian Wells you were pretty forthright and said that, Well, we will learn about this in the future. Can you just share with us some of the things you have learned since then as the months have gone by.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I mean, as a person, I try, because for sure, everybody has his ups and downs. I try to learn every day.

I mean, already, you know, living, I'm not at all mature or let's say old as other people can be, but even in 26 years I'm on earth I can feel like every year is different. Every time, let's say, at least that's a little bit Russian tradition when, because for us we don't really -- Christmas is not as important as Happy New Year. So on the 31st, usually people are set down on the table and saying, So what did you learn from this year? Yeah, for me, every year was something new.

So about this situation, you know, I would say in my opinion, the most I'm trying to learn is, let's say like this, I don't want to be like rude or anything, but I'm trying to see person by person. I don't know how to explain it.

So as an example, I have a lot of friends from different countries all over the world. So let's say when this started, when this happened, some of them could, for whatever reason, turn their back on me just because I'm Russian. And for sure, I mean, most of my really good friends, they know who I am. I'm still Daniil Medvedev, still play tennis. I tend to think that I'm quite kind in life. Maybe not everybody thinks this way. And they know it.

The situation in Ukraine didn't change this. And same, you know, about some Ukrainians, there are a lot of good Ukrainians; there are some bad Ukrainians. There are a lot of good Russians; there are some bad Russians.

Me, I tried to learn for myself that it's really important, in my opinion, to see person by person. I don't know how to explain it better.

Q. Another situation involves the basketball player, Brittney Griner, who is in your country. What familiarity do you have with her basketball career, and what are your thoughts about the situation?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, for sure, I heard about this. But I don't know the exact full details. I mean, the situation is for sure not easy, I mean, when somebody goes to prison.

I do think it's quite comparable to other situations, like let's talk about Novak. You know, he couldn't come in the country for whatever reason, different laws. We can say does this law make sense? Because Americans can come back without the vaccine. Novak cannot come here and he doesn't want to live in USA. He wants to just play the tennis tournament and come back home to Serbia.

So it's the same. I don't know the exact situation, but I think if she really had -- was it marijuana? I don't remember what it was, then I don't know, a law is a law. And if it was not true that she didn't have it, I don't know, they tossed it, then it's not good. But I don't know what it was and how it happened, so I have nothing more to say, you know.