US OPEN

September 10, 2023

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

N. DJOKOVIC/D. Medvedev

6-3, 7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Obviously not the result that you wanted, but congratulations on a great run and also thank you for being so gracious to this room over the past two weeks. You were just phenomenal. Thank you very much.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: That's funny. I think that's the first time I hear this, so thanks, I guess.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I'm not sure how long after a match like that you analyze it, if you do. I just wonder whether you have or whether you think you'll have any regrets about the second set at all.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Oh, regrets, for sure. Should have won it. Should have won it, but sometimes tennis not that easy. Passing for sure down the line, not cross, but I have two choices and I chose the wrong one.

In general, yeah, second set was the best set I played and I didn't win it. So that's why I kind of, I would say, it's normal that the match went that way, because first and third he was kind of better and not much to say. Second if I would win it maybe could have been a different game.

I don't know if I would analyze it. Again, when we play next time it's going to be different story. I'm not even sure there is anything much to analyze.

Yeah, that's how life is and tennis is. So I'm going to try to be better next time.

Q. When you're playing that second set and you're seeing him gasping for breath and wobbling on his feet, are you thinking, okay, I've jarred him, hit him in the jaw, he's weak right now, or are you thinking that's Novak Djokovic, I have seen him do this before and doesn't mean anything right now?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, it's kind of both, because he was tired. He was missing some shots at the end of some long rallies.

At the same time, as you say, that's Novak. No matter what, he can be there. It's kind of the same like when we played with Rublev, we could barely stay, and then the points were unbelievable. So that's kind of the same.

Yeah, that's why also for sure pity that I didn't win the second set because I felt like I was let's call it all over him, like I was dominating in a way.

Just should have done better. Was a little bit stubborn on return. I probably should have changed my position and stuff like this, but I had the feeling that it's gonna work like this and I'm going to make it work because I was a little bit returning worse than let's say with Carlos. When the set was over, I was like, yeah, I was too stubborn, I should have done differently.

But, you know, again, that's how tennis is. Backhand the same, backhand not cross but down the line, the set is over. Sometimes it's tough.

Q. You mentioned the Rublev match and obviously that was very physical, tough conditions against Carlos. How physically prepared were you today coming into the match?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Tough to say, because basically starting with de Minaur, match after Baez match, which was physical, I was feeling not at 100% physically every match but still managed to play amazing and win amazing matches. Sometimes in Grand Slam you're not going to feel 100% and you may still win the whole thing.

You know, he was, as we say, he was second set also struggling. I had small pain, the pain was growing during the match, but doesn't even matter. That's not why I lost it.

So for sure physically I would like to come better to this match, but if you play Carlos in the semifinals, you know that physically it's going to be a tough one. So there is no other choice and you still want to win and just I had to be better physically, mentally, and tennis-wise.

Q. I wonder what the difference in your level was from your point of view from the Carlos match to today match, and what made that difference?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I played a bit worse, for sure, especially first set. Third it's tough to say. After the second set it might have been the consequence of the way the match was going. The first set was a little bit pity, because I didn't play good, in my opinion, and the second set I would kind of say I probably played like with Carlos and that's why we started to have this really arm wrestling points and games.

Just, yeah, as I say, if I wanted to win the match, I had to win the set.

So why, because it's not easy to repeat, because against Carlos I played one of best matches of my life. I mean, against Novak here two years ago it's kind of in the same category. It's not that easy to repeat it day in, day out.

For sure, I tried and that's why second set I managed to raise my level but was not enough.

Q. It felt like the serve and volley for Djokovic was kind of the key?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah.

Q. You didn't make many points when he did it.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: True. That's what I was saying that I probably should have been less stubborn and change my position, because I tried to change in my mind what I was doing on return, like either going a little bit high or low or line, cross. I just didn't manage to put the ball in the court many times or to put the ball where I wanted to.

So that was different that with Carlos I managed to be good returning from far, and that's what I'm good at. I don't really care too much if the guy is serving and volleying. It makes it a little bit tougher but he has to do it good. Novak first of all does it good, so that's the first part.

And then the second part is that I didn't manage to return well enough, and I don't want to say because of him. It was more of myself and I should have been less stubborn and go forward earlier in the match, because I only started doing it a little bit in the third set. But the match was a different story.

Q. Happy anniversary to you and your wife on that note there. When you were able to break him for the first time in the third set and get to 3-2, the whole thoughts process with that next game and how that was tough to take there, and do you wish that it was going to be a warm day and him not needing the roof with how he served his best of tournament against Shelton and then against you? Your thoughts on that there.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, first of all, about the warm, I don't know. I generally -- I feel like I struggle a lot when it's warm but I generally feel like I win more matches because both of you struggle. But at the same time, honestly, when it's a Grand Slam final, it doesn't really matter and should not affect you so I don't want to go into this too much.

What was the other one? I forget.

Q. Able to break him for the first time, and then next game.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, was good moment. That's what happens sometimes. Second set was up and down, I could have won, he breaks me, we kind of think maybe the match is over but I have to fight till the last point. I managed to break back. In my mind I'm, like, let's go for it, come on. But I didn't manage to raise my level as in the second set.

I think physically I was a little bit tired also, and he kind of maybe sensed this victory, so physically he will manage to step up. In my mind I was thinking I have to continue this physical battle, but actually didn't manage to in the third set, and that's why I started to miss a little bit more, a little bit worse decisions, for sure.

Yeah, a lot of regrets, but at the same time, 24 other finalists, 23 other finalists? Anyway, many more guys have a lot of regrets playing him in the final of a slam (smiling).

Q. When you fell, looked like you injured your elbow. How big of an impact was that?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I felt nothing. Actually, when the moment I fell, I was, like, Man, this could have been not dangerous but I could have hurt myself. So for maybe 30 seconds, one minute, I was, like, does it hurt, does it not hurt.

There was other problem I had. In the third set it was growing, growing, growing, and at the same time, again, that's how tennis is. Maybe I win the second set and I don't think about the other problem I had. The pain goes less. When you lose it, the pain goes up.

Again, I definitely didn't lose because I had a small pain on my left shoulder.