THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 5, 2023

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/A. Fery

7-5, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the press conference of Daniil Medvedev.

Daniil, good to get on court on a rain-interrupted day?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, happy to finish my match because that's not the case for everyone. That's sometimes how Wimbledon can be. We know it can rain. Hard courts you cannot also kind of play in the rain. But the grass is even worse. As soon as it's a few drops, you are scared.

Court 1, I don't think I've lost a match there, so happy to be back on this court. Happy to get the win. Yeah, only positive emotions.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What did you do yesterday? How do you pass the time?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I did nothing special. I actually thought the rain is going to come later. I was supposed to practice at 1, but it was raining already so I didn't get to hit. I moved a little bit with my physical coach. We did two times like 30 minutes. Some work with the physio. Basically nothing else.

You know, you always wait till they officially cancel your match because you never know. You decide to go home by yourself, then suddenly they move your match to Centre or something. You're like, I shouldn't have done it.

Stayed here till maybe 4 till they canceled my match. Went back home and just relaxed.

Yeah, sometimes when you don't hit for the day can be tricky. Actually didn't feel amazing in my tennis today, but a win is a win, so I'm happy to be through.

Q. Do you have any ways to keep yourself entertained?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: We have phones. I don't know. We have fun with my team living in the house here. We're a lot closer to each other than sometimes on other tournaments.

If not, generally during the tournament I try to, let's say, not overthink too much. I just spend time on my phone or even just sleeping or talking to someone. But not getting into some deep discussions or something like this.

Q. On what you said in the on-court interview, not quite knowing how the crowds would react to you. A number of players that weren't here last year have said that. Is that something that was on your mind at all? Had it occurred to you before the match how the crowd might respond?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: A little bit. For different reasons it could be possible that the reception would not be as great as it was.

We came in at the same time with Arthur, so they were cheering. I was like, For him? For both? How is it? Then at one moment I think either when we went to the referee or something, I was kind of the first one, or I was the second one to come, and they were cheering me on in a way. I was like, Okay, that's surprising.

During the match, I felt like that's normal, they really tried to help Arthur, to pump him up and something. Yeah, there was zero let's say negative energy that I felt. I never had such a good reception at Wimbledon. It's much better than I had before. So that's great. I'm going to try to give them back, if I can say like this. Hopefully I can.

Q. What does 'giving them back' look like?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Not getting crazy and let's say - how can I explain it - not being probably a selfish kid on the court. Sometimes I can be. I'm going to try to give back people here in Wimbledon and just try to show some good tennis. Even if I don't, leave the court and finish the tournament.

Q. Is that kind of the Wimbledon effect that makes you want to be sort of in keeping with the place?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I don't know. Again, as I said, the reception today, what I felt, I don't feel it that often. There are some cities and some places where I felt it. But it's not every time. I was really let's call it touched by it. I'm going to remember it like for the next times.

You never know who I'm going to play, maybe the reception is going to be different, but I'm still going to remember it. I'm going to try to convince myself to give back. That's how I am.

I can be really even maybe rude when I think - and sometimes we think wrong - when I think someone is not fair to me, this can happen in everyday life. If I cross someone and he said, Hi, I would say, Hi, how are you.

But if he says, You don't know how to play tennis, I would say, Well, you don't know how to play tennis either, or something like this.

So yeah.

Q. Regarding Fery, he's not really a serve-and-volleyer, but he tried to rush you. Did you feel he was trying to rush you all the time, take time away from you?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I felt it straight from the start. I think he did some good points. As you say, that's not really his game. Then it comes to the point where should he have done different or no regarding that he lost.

I don't know. I felt like I could have done much, much better on my passing shots, especially on the return. At the same time I had some good ones also.

That was his game plan. It's very tough to say because I do think it was not a bad game plan. But when you lose, you always kind of doubt yourself whether you should have done differently.

It happened to me. I thought the game plan was good, but you lose. You're like, Maybe it was not that good.

That's the most I can answer.

Q. He's at Stanford with Paul Goldstein, who is a very good coach. Do you think he can come on and improve?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: That's what I said on the court. I think maybe out of top 400 or 500 players, they all play good. They all can hit clean the ball. On practice they all can beat you. Some players play better on practice than the match. Then there are always juniors coming up.

But the thing is that we cannot give more places in the rankings. Out of these 500 players that can all play good, there are only hundred that are top hundred.

Can he make it? For sure. Will he make it? We never know. Maybe top hundred, maybe top 10. Yeah, he needs to continue his way. I think he's still on the way up, still young. Definitely has his chances.

Q. I feel like I haven't seen you play too much on a grass court over the years. Could you analyze what part of your game you think benefits from being on the grass and what part you really have to focus on.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Let's say I still didn't kind of find the exact key to grass court, which I somehow managed to find this year on clay. Not talking only about the results, but straightaway I said it after Monte-Carlo and Madrid, I felt that I was building something up. On grass, I don't feel it that much.

I remember when I started playing on grass, it was more like challengers and outside courts. They're usually faster and the ball is sliding more. I felt like my flat strokes, just natural ones, were really beneficial on grass.

When playing on center courts, I feel them very slow. Only serve is going fast. I feel like people who actually spin the ball are actually easier on grass than playing flat. That's a little bit surprising.

That's where I'm still trying to find the exact way of how should I play. That's the best tournament where I can try to make it, so let's see. The further the draw, the stronger the opponents. Let's see if I can manage to find something and go far.

Q. Do you think it will ever come that you feel completely at home on grass?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I was feeling really at home on grass, again, when I started playing. I think also it's something where I would be less consistent. So I will be like, On grass, that's perfect. I can hit full power, try to make a sensation, beat top guys.

When I became the top guy, especially on hard courts, I feel like I can win a lot of matches just by kind of knowing what to do. On grass court that's where I stop liking it because that's where the sensations come, a lot of top players I have beaten.

At this moment I don't feel like at home playing on grass. Again, every opportunity to try to make it is a good one, and I'm going to try to make it these two weeks.