US OPEN

September 4, 2023

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/A. de Minaur

2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Daniil, at this point in the tournament, as you approach the quarterfinals, are you satisfied with your game?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Oh, 100%, especially today, more than the matches before. Brutal match, brutal match, because brutal conditions. So tough, so humid today. When I practiced before the match, like usually four hours before the match, straightaway I was like, Oh, my God, it's going to be tough. It was going to be tough for everyone who was there today.

Some people bear better with the heat, some people worse. I feel like I'm not the best one in this case. At the same time I feel like I fight many times through it quite well, so that's kind of what happened today.

I managed to raise my level. It was amazing last three sets, so really happy. Hope I can play the same way going further.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Your matches with Andrey have been great. Talk about your relationship with him.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think we're really close friends. I think we have great relationship. Even if on the court we're big competitors, so I do think one match, I say a fight, we can talk or something like this, I think nothing is going to, let's call it, come between us to separate us in real life. We're really close. I mean, we share a lot of let's call it interests and stuff like this.

It's great to have someone like this on tour because sometimes can be not easy. You travel, travel, travel. To have a friend like this is great.

Not much more to add. But again, on the court we both want to win. We not going to be friends in two days.

Q. What do you think caused that to turn? Alex said, paraphrasing, that he lost his legs in the match.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Great to hear (smiling).

Q. He's played so much. Were you having breathing problems? It looked like they gave you an inhaler at the beginning.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, the thing is I don't think it worked because I kind of don't know how to use it. I don't think it worked. But I'm not sure.

Yeah, it was very tough to breathe in the beginning for me. So I didn't know before that you can do it. I really have troubles breathing, so now I'm not going to joke about it like two days or four days ago. I'm going to use it.

Again, did it help me or not? I'm not sure it worked, the actual thing, the inhaler, I'm not sure it was working. I'm like, Okay, whatever.

But it's great to know that someone like Alex, for me probably top five most physical guys on tour, I'm sure he won a lot of five-setters in his life and stuff like this. During the match it was tough for me all the match. I mean, it was really like I think I never changed that many T-shirts and that many towels during the match.

I do think he's struggling a little bit to move. I'm like, Okay, he's struggling, I'm struggling, let's go.

I think the turning point was second serve I managed to serve very well till the end of the match. That gave me some air on my serve to kind of relax a little bit. I managed to put just a little bit more pressure on his serve here and there, then the match turned.

Q. You mentioned after the last couple matches this idea of people cheering between first and second serves. Is that disrespectful, aggravating, you don't like it? Does it actually throw you out of rhythm?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's super annoying, especially for me because why - how you call it - bounce the ball. Some players bounce 10, 15 times, sometimes 6. I usually do two or three. If someone shouts in this moment, whoever bounces six or seven, they can just redo it again. I kind of always do two or three, so it actually throws me out a lot.

That's what I said today after the match. Today, I don't know what's the reason why before it was not like this, because I was playing Australian kind of at night on the same stadium four days before. Today, again, I kind of don't care if they cheer more for me or for Alex. This is crowd preference. Depends many things, whoever comes in the stadium.

But today was super respectful. I don't think there was one guy who was cheering between first and second serve, shouting or clapping. It was amazing feeling to play like this.

Yeah, sometimes it's like this. Sometimes it's not. You have to win no matter what. It's just that it's a little bit tougher when people shout between first and second.

Again, if the rule one day is going to change, I'm not going to argue against this anymore because that's the rule. For the moment the rule on the tennis court you cannot do it. If the guy does it two times, I'm like, throw him out. He cannot do it. It's the rule.

Q. Is it possible to actually prepare for really humid conditions or do you just do your general training and trust that it works?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I don't think it was possible. I was thinking about this during the first set when I was struggling more than him. I was like, I feel like I work a lot. I don't want to compare myself to other tennis players. Just talking about myself, I feel like I work enormously hard on the practice court.

I mean, in south of France, so it's brutally hot in summer. And we do specific, like, practices for a Grand Slam, like three-hour practices where I basically run a lot and hit a lot of balls and stuff like this. Same, sometimes it's tough, sometimes it's easier.

During the first set I'm like, I do all this and I feel horrible. I'm like, Why do I have the feeling that some guys maybe don't do it but feel okay? That's when we come to where at one point I was like, Ah, maybe he's struggling also. Okay, it's tough for everyone. Just have to deal with it.

Q. You decided to make Andrey the godfather of your daughter. Was that an easy decision to make?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: To be honest, yes, because as I say, we're really close. I don't like to, let's say, label 'best friend' because I would say I have a lot of best friends, I have a lot of good friends.

But we are very close. He's very kind. He's kind of a little bit into - how we can call it - he's religious, so that's important to be a godfather. So it was kind of an easy decision, yeah.

Q. When you hit the tweener, that was part of turning that tide. How satisfying is that to be able to overcome his best?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It was a very satisfying match because, again, he beat me last two times. Was close matches, but he played well.

Today first set felt like he couldn't miss. I was missing just a little bit too much. Even if I wouldn't, I felt like he was playing, I mean, top level. I don't want to say top one, top two, but top level. Touching a lot of lines, playing on the line, going to the net, doing some amazing volleys. I was like, Wow, he's actually destroying me right now, that's why the score.

To turn around the match like this is always a great feeling. It gives you a lot of confidence for next matches.

Tweener, it's very rare that I do a tweener and I make it in. Against Baez I made one and I almost won the point. Here, yeah, I kind of many times also don't go for the tweener because usually you have the chance to make a lob and get back into the point or something like this. I'm not a huge fan of tweener, even if in practice I do it a little bit more for fun.

Here I felt like it was a good opportunity to do it. I was a little bit late. I just went for it. To win it, the crowd cheers you on. Next game I had one also amazing point. Kind of pumps you up. Yeah, it was great to do it in this tough moment.

Q. Tomorrow in the bottom half of the draw they have Shelton and Tiafoe facing each other, then Novak and Taylor. Are you going to be able to watch a little bit of it?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Funny, I was waiting for this question because I guess in a lot of hotels they have Spectrum. I cannot watch it on TV anymore.

I don't know if it's legal or illegal, but I have to find a way because I cannot watch it on TV. I got Internet, probably this, how you call it, pirate websites, I watch tennis there. I have no other choice.

But at the same time sometimes I do want to watch some series. Do I put it on the phone or not? I watched Djokovic with Djere until it was 2:30 and then I had to go to sleep. Probably I'm going to watch it if they don't play too late, my phone, if Spectrum don't find an agreement.

I think I would say more about Tommy, Taylor, and Frances just because of the ranking that it's great to see three Americans that high in the rankings. Great guys, same generation, playing great. Ben managed win Tommy, so he's there, the third one. It's going to be a great atmosphere, a great match, at least one American in the semis. Let's see.

Q. Obviously you're focused on the US Open. You qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals again. How good is it to be done with that so early in the year?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's tough to answer because probably, let's call it, after Rome you kind of know I'm probably there. It's just nice to have it official, to kind of know. I can just stay at home and still go to Turin, which is very close from me. Would be a nice trip.

That's a nice feeling to be there that early. Probably together with Carlos and Novak. I think that's only second time I qualify that early. I don't know when I beat Novak here if I qualified already. Anyway, doesn't matter.

Happy to be there fifth or sixth time in a row, and hopefully many more.

Q. You and the crowd here in New York often have an interesting relationship. Not afraid to let them know when they've annoyed you. This is your best slam in terms of your results. What is it about New York that brings out the best in you?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, first of all, the energy of the crowd is amazing. What happens is let's say you take out of context just my couple of interviews, even here these two weeks, people seem like, Oh, my God, he's again have this fight with the crowd. It's not true. My relationship this year is amazing with the crowd. It is as I say, sometimes it is maybe five, ten guys that try to throw you off between first and second serve. Today was not the case.

In general the relationship has been great ever since 2019 final. In terms of the crowds, one of the best tournaments I play during the year. Really happy and excited always to come back here.

I think the court suits me well. Even if this year I thought it's kind of let's call it too slow, so far playing great and feeling great. The court suits me well.

Usually these balls suit me well. Even if same, I feel like they make it heavier and heavier from year to year. So hopefully, yeah, I'm going to be able to play many more times like this in US Open.