INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 18, 2023

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/Y. Hanfmann

6-2, 6-2

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Hello, everyone.

THE MODERATOR: Well done, Daniil. Was this the best match you played in Rome so far?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: No, actually I didn't feel like this. I did a lot of double-faults. Yeah, could be better on my serve. But it was the same from his side.

I think the courts, all of the courts, are pretty different here, especially the grandstand and central court. It was not easy to adapt I guess for both of us. I managed to adapt better. I'm really happy about it. A win is a win. From baseline, not regarding the serve, I played well, returned well, moving well.

Looking forward to next round.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What do you think are the reasons behind this clay court success? Do you feel like you're getting better every year on this surface?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I didn't feel like this probably before this tournament, so... I remember sitting here before the tournament and saying how well I felt on practice. It's always tricky because then you can always lose first round against a great opponent and you're going to be like, Yeah, well, why did I say this? Better shut up and don't say this.

That's how I felt. I'm happy I managed to transfer this on the tennis court because match and practice is a different story.

I didn't really change anything in practice, but maybe finally this year the practice that we made for clay season worked, even if we didn't have a lot of time before Monte-Carlo.

I had some, yeah, few good days after Madrid. Madrid and Rome are two weeks, gives you more time between the tournaments, so I had more time to practice.

Just really happy that I managed to play well and feel well, 'cause that was not the case before. Yeah, hopefully I can continue this way till the end of the clay season.

Q. You said you didn't play your best match, but did you feel he's a perfect opponent for you? A lot of people are struggling with him on clay courts.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I managed to play well. When he was doing serve and volley, I made some passing shots, then he's going to doubt if he does serve and volley again. Same, he was doing some unbelievable dropshots, I felt like Alcaraz style where you cannot see them. I think he won maybe 75% of them. But the 25% I won were in important moments.

I think every game we had deuce, advantage, deuce. I just managed to be better in these points. I think that's what also clay is about. I managed to lose two times my serve and win 6-2, 6-2.

Yeah, just trying to put the ball back in play because on clay that's the most important.

Q. You lost only one set until now, which maybe is surprising you. I'd like to know, since you have more time, in the past you lost always in the first round, maybe you left Rome early, this time you have one more day between one match and the other, not just practice but also for other reasons. Maybe you can see Rome. What do you think about Italy in general when you have been here compared to France where you like to live and to talk, you understand the language?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, well, I definitely don't understand Italian. I think if I lived here in Rome maybe six months I can speak because it's pretty similar to French, from what I heard. But for the moment I don't understand anything. Can speak only some words.

I really like Italy. I played a lot of juniors in Italy. I think ATPs we have only Rome and Turin, no? Yeah, Milan, I was there a couple times even without the Next Gen.

I like Italy. I like France also. Actually when I was losing in Rome, I usually spent few days here with my wife. So now when I'm in the tournament, I have less time. When you're still in the tournament, you're not going to go sight-seeing, to Vatican, Coliseum or something like this. I just go dinner to some good places, Italian food. Not actually only Italian because Rome is a modern city, can eat whatever.

Yeah, I always liked honestly both the Madrid, Rome swing, but never played well. Now I'm playing better, so I'm happy about it.

Q. Rafael Nadal withdrew from the French Open while you were playing. It's very bad news for tennis. Is it good news for players and yourself?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think it's bad news because you never want to see anyone injured, withdrawing, especially someone like Rafa. At the same time if we talk about let's say favorites, for sure it changes. If he would announce maybe, I don't know, he's going to say I'm not 100% but I'm going to play, he's the favorite because he's winning there 95% of the time he's playing probably.

Sad news. In a way I'm happy to hear that he's going to try to come back. I heard he said he doesn't know when he's going to come back on the practice court, but he wants to come back at least next year.

I think we're all want to see him back on court playing. That's the most important. I just wish that we going to see him for a couple more years till he decides to stop.

Q. Do you think Rafa's record in Paris is maybe the most impressive record of anybody, any tournament in tennis?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: In tennis, for sure. In tennis, for sure. I think Novak won Australia, what, nine times, 10 this year. Still, Rafa won 14. Maybe Novak, if he makes 14 in Australia, then we going to have more talking (smiling).

For the moment, Rafa on clay in general, but especially in Roland Garros, is just unreal. I honestly don't know how this is possible because me, I feel like I'm a good tennis player, but you can always have a bad day, or your opponent has a very good day. Like in Madrid I felt like I was not playing that bad against Karatsev. But I lost, and after the match I was like, He played well. Okay, that's it.

Rafa didn't have these matches in Roland Garros, except maybe the match with Soderling where Robin played the match of his life and managed to win.

This is unbelievable. I think in tennis, at least for the moment, there no comparison.

Q. Are you the favorite for the title now?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I don't think so. With Rune and Ruud, for me I don't want to say this word 'clay court specialists', but they like to play on clay. Borna likes to play on clay, and Stefanos has probably established himself as one of the top three, four players in the last years on clay.

I definitely don't put myself as a favorite, but I have been playing extremely well here, feeling extremely well. So if I manage to play this well in the semifinals, I'm sure I'm going to give a hard time to my opponent. That's what I want to do. Hopefully I can go even further and try to win two more matches.