US OPEN

August 26, 2022

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Daniil, your thoughts on this year's Open and being back in New York.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I love being back here. I said it like five times now (smiling). I remember first time coming here as a junior, then few times as a professional. I lost one time in quallies. I think the next year I lost in the first round, so it definitely was not good results.

I always loved the tournament itself. Loved being here, loved the energy. Then for sure starting with 2019, I started also playing good here, which is important.

I love coming back here. I feel straightaway at home in a way. Yeah, I'm looking forward to playing next week. Really happy to be here.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. There was some talk they feel this is one of the most open men's draws in a long time. In your opinion, does it feel that way? Do all tournaments always feel open to you?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, it's a little bit tough to answer. For sure, if I look back maybe I would say five years ago when I was probably not even on the tour yet, I mean, when there was the big four, Andy, Novak, Roger, Rafa, especially if they would be the top four seeds, some tournaments was the case, for sure.

I'm not sure how other guys reacted, but it's tough. You know you're going to get them in quarters, first rounds. There were some slams where they occupied the semifinals. It must not have been easy.

If we look at this perspective, maybe it is. At the same time, if we take the last two, three year slams, I have to say on hard courts it was a lot of times me there, Stefanos a few times. Australian Open, Sascha was there. Sometimes in the final. Dominic.

It's not like I feel like we saw any huge surprise in the latest slams. Like Casper being in the finals in Roland Garros, at least for me is not surprising at all. He's an amazing clay court player. Not only clay court player, but more on clay. It's not easy to answer.

I think it is. But talking from my perspective, I just want to play good, just try to win as many matches as possible no matter the opponent, no matter the draw.

Q. So much has happened in the last year since you and Novak met in the final, for both of you. Can you talk about that, coming back this year, knowing he's not here...

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I mean, I'm not going to talk for him. That's for him to answer.

I mean, I wish he would play here. We saw it in Wimbledon. He didn't play many tournaments this year. He came there, he won. He's such a championship. The rivalry against Rafa is really I feel like heating up in a way. 22, 21, a joke of a number.

It's a pity he's not here. It would be a great story I think for tennis. Not only tennis-wise, but it's not us tennis players, it's American government rule. Completely understandable also.

Talking about myself, yeah, for sure, if I look back at the year in details, a lot has happened. At the same time I remember it like yesterday. I want to try to leave the moments like this again because it's a special moment to win a slam. I'm motivated to try to do it again. I was really close in Australian Open.

When you say 'close', if you didn't do it, you are far also. I want to try to do something big here.

Q. For you in this past 12 months, or everyone 2022, what have the biggest challenges for you been? Are there things you didn't expect first time around the courts again being a Grand Slam champion, being No. 1, what kind of different obstacles you faced?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Talking about challenges, the thing is that life is a challenge for everybody. If we go day-by-day, I would find a challenge every day. To wake up sometimes is not easy, if you have a practice in the morning.

I would say if I have to tell something like the most important, for sure Australian Open was tough. I mean, the final. First of all, tough defeat. I really wanted to win. Rafa played quite amazing the last three sets especially.

Was not easy what happened with the crowd there. I also was the reason, reason what happened. It was not easy for me to kind of settle down and think, what did I do wrong, what should I maybe change in terms of perception of things. Many different thoughts like this.

I would say for me the biggest challenge always is to play tennis. I say this because we want to win every tournament. I mean, I managed to win only one this year, but I played maybe 12, 13, 14. I want to win every of them that I play. It's always a constant challenge.

I'm working well. I'm working well with my team. I'm confident in myself. That's the most important for me, is when I finish my career, when I finish a year, which is 2022, to look back and did I do everything I can? If yes, what can I do better? Let's adjust for the next years.

That's a challenge for me, and I like this challenge.

Q. Some of the women's players were talking about their issues with the ball being different than the men's ball. You hit a thousand balls a day. Is it that noticeable when one of a little bit lighter than the other? What happens?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, it's very tough for me to answer this question. For sure, we're all so sensitive with the balls, racquets, humidity, everything. Tennis is such a technique sport where everything is sometimes about a few centimeters.

I didn't know difference with women's ball. I knew they were different. I didn't know it's the only slam it's the case. I thought it was on every slam that it's the case. I was not even informed about this.

It's very tough. I don't know the difference again between men's and women's balls. For, I like US Open Wilson balls. At the same time, I will be honest, for example I hate balls in Indian Wells and Miami. I'm open about this. I would like them to change these balls, but it doesn't work like this. If they hear me, please change the balls for next year. Take Wilson, US Open. I would be happy.

I'm sure you're going to find 50 girls that love these balls, 50 women, and 50 that hate it.

It's always a tricky situation. Imagine they put a men's ball into women's US Open, then there is going to be, let's say, Anett Kontaveit, who says, I hate these balls. I was playing better with other ones. Why did they have to change it?

It's a tricky question, and I cannot really answer it. I love Wilson US Open balls. I hate some balls on the tour. I'm not going to tell which ones. Yeah, not much more to say (smiling).

Q. Obviously back in 2019 there was a lot of booing from the crowd. You really fed off it. Seems like they warmed to you last year. What sort of reception would you like from the crowd this year?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: When we talk about reception, I always say I just want to be myself and see what people think of me. Even sometimes it's not good. Sometimes it doesn't please me, but I never want to do something fake.

I mean, I don't think it's not that tough to, what we can say, to try to please the crowd every time you talk to them. You know you can just actually every time you have the mic just say in every city in the world, Oh, my God, I love this city.

But I want to be try to be open-minded to people and just tell the truth all the time.

When I look back at US Open nights, every night starting 2019 where I got booed for a reason, it was not like there was no reason. All these moments, and especially the final against Rafa, give me goose bumps because it was something special when I'm never going to forget, my team will never forget. They suffered also because of my actions. They loved what happened in the end.

I feel like, yeah, in New York I have a special relationship with the crowd. I have no idea how it's going to go this year, but I'm happy to be here and happy to experience whatever's going to happen.

Q. Talking about fan reception, have you ever thought about what makes someone a Daniil Medvedev fan? What kind person is attracted to you as a player?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's going to be a little bit harsh on myself, but I'm going to say. I do think if you look at Daniil Medvedev only on the tennis court, only as a tennis player, maybe it's not that easy to like him or me as much because, I mean, my technique is a little bit odd. My game style is probably not the most flashiest, but that's because I want to win.

When I was young, when I was 18, I was hitting the ball as hard as I can. Maybe people would love it more, but, yeah, I probably would not win a Grand Slam.

But I do feel like when I interact with my fans, if they know little bit more of who I am in real life, they start to like me more.

Yeah, I would think my personality together with what I am on the tennis court, what I am straight afterwards in interviews or my personal life, is what makes some people a fan of Daniil Medvedev.

Q. Obviously Serena is playing her last tournament. Did you ever have any personal anecdotes or memories of her? What do you think is her legacy across the board?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I don't have anything. We actually interacted few times. I think there must be something, but I don't have it right now here.

If not, I always say when I took the racquet for the first time, I was 6, I don't remember when I started watching tennis on TV. Let's say half a year later, one year later. Okay, there are these tournaments, Grand Slams, biggest tournaments in the world. Serena was already there. I'm not sure she was No. 1 in the world. They were together there with Venus sharing Grand Slam finals, both winning a lot. Serena was starting to win a little bit more already.

Okay, she's the strong woman in the world in tennis right now. That's cool. 20 years later I'm here, already managed have some success in my career, and Serena is still playing, playing her last US Open.

It's just legendary. Every time I saw her in person, she just has this legendary energy around her, which I guess is not easy to live with, because that's why everybody is a fan of her. Maybe Paparazzi. You come around here, and you're like, I'm a fan, something special. She for sure has and will have an amazing legacy in tennis.

I'm sure in hundred years we're still going to talk about Serena Williams.

Q. One change is the allowance of coaching from the stands. You have had some interesting moments regarding opponents, et cetera. What are your thoughts on the change, what it might mean?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, sometimes I'm really tough with the rules. I can explain when it's allowed, the coaching, for sure people would coach, I would have no problem. The problem was before when it's normally not allowed, but you can say, Okay, c'mon, whatever, whatever the coach can say to you to encourage you. Sometimes actually, yeah, you're on your opponent's coach side, you're going to hear something like, C'mon, go down the line or something.

You're like, C'mon. What's happening?

Me, I was never against coaching. I know I'm not really going to use it with my coach because we know how we work together. Maybe there's going to be one match of 10 or 20 where he's going to try to introduce something during the match. But most of the time we not going to need it as a pair on the court.

Me, I would be okay if they don't allow it or allow it, but I'm not against it. If it's allowed, I'm completely find and I think it is also something to try and see how it goes.