CHINA OPEN

September 29, 2023

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Hello, everyone.

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the post-match press conference for Daniil Medvedev.

Questions, please.

Q. A few thoughts on that first-round victory today. You looked in good form, looking pretty loose, powerful out there. What was your take on the game?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, true. Was a little bit tough start, starting with a break. Never easy. But I felt straightaway in the first game I played pretty slow, which was different to practice. Little bit strange, but played pretty slow.

I'm like, Probably I'm going to have my chances on the return. I managed to break back straightaway so the match became even again.

I don't think Tommy didn't play his best match, probably jet-lagged coming from Vancouver. Not easy at all. But if I talk purely about myself, during the match I played better and better. I managed to serve better, find better angles, like some good returns, some good depths on my shots.

Generally happy with my level. Never easy after a Grand Slam final to come back and play a new tournament. So happy with it and looking forward to next matches.

Q. What is your opinion on the competition and all the competing between you and Carlos, you and Novak Djokovic? Do you still want to become the world No. 1 in the end of the year?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: For end of the year would be tough. I mean, I guess I can, but I need to win every tournament that I'm going to play. That's what I always try to do everywhere I play. I want to win. The dream is for sure here.

But at the moment it's very far because I think Novak is more than 2,000 points away from me. Carlos is like 2,000. Even if Novak maybe is not going to play that much, Carlos is playing all the tournaments. Right now by the logic I would say Carlos is going to finish No. 1 because he's going to play a little bit more tournaments than Novak. But let's see.

Me, from my side, the only thing I can do is try to play, try to win, get many points. You know, this could help for next year. If you don't become No. 1 at the end of the year, the more points you have now, the more next year you have at one point of the season to become.

At this moment what we have is the first No. 2 far away, then I'm far away from everyone. So I'm a little bit in a safe position, then everyone trying to catch up. I would say that's a good position. But for sure I'm going to try to push more.

Q. Fans in Zhuhai are quite sad because you missed the tournament.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Sorry (smiling).

Q. Just want to know, how long did it take for you to go back to the practice court after the US Open final?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Took me a week and a day. I started practicing again Tuesday. When we say 'practicing', for sure a couple of days is very light practice to get your body back used to the effort, then step by step you increase a little bit the level.

To be honest, like that's the thing about tennis: if you want to feel 100% all the time, you should basically after a Grand Slam take one, two days off, then go back to practice to maintain the physical level, tennis level.

At the same time doing like this, probably in two months you're going to be burned out and you're not going to be able to play good any more. So there's always this balance.

That's why I'm happy about my match where I didn't have the best preparation possible because of my US Open run, but that's how it is sometimes.

You need to try to do your best no matter what. That's what I tried to do.

Q. I saw a video that you solved the puzzle in 20 seconds.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah.

Q. I have to tell you, Carlos Alcaraz failed it. It must be well to call yourself a smart guy, but have you tested your IQ?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Actually, I have never. I actually have never. But I will be honest, I would be scared because I do consider myself, I don't like to say, but I do consider myself as someone who likes - let's say like this - to think, someone who can discuss different topics.

But then I never did. Probably I should. I never tested my IQ. But I would be scared because maybe at the end they give me the result. I'm like, Oh, my God, that's very bad (smiling).

But about this puzzle, yeah, I solved the first one. They gave me the tougher one. I didn't manage to solve it. I was actually very interested because I thought what they told me, you need to find one piece that moves, then it kind of falls apart.

So in the second one, which was tougher, I found this piece. But even if I found it, I didn't manage to make it fall apart. Should play more this game.

But I liked it (smiling).

Q. This year you were at a Formula 1 event. I saw some pictures. Do you follow Formula 1 or do you watch the races occasionally?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I like Formula 1. In general I like different sports, but don't have time to watch all of them. I follow a lot of football. I play Fantasy Premier League. It's my big passion. I follow it a lot.

The bad part is that sometimes with all the time differences and stuff, I follow a little bit less some of the game weeks during the year, and I get destroyed during these game weeks and drop my rankings and stuff like this. That's the tough part.

But about Formula 1, I love racing. I love doing myself karting. If somehow, somewhere there is a racetrack near to me, I try to race there. Apparently what I hear from people is I'm pretty good and talented at it. I love to hear that. Yeah, every time I have the opportunity to watch a Grand Prix, I watch it.

Yeah, I honestly hope that after my career, I will have some opportunities to do some motor racing and stuff like this with my friends because I have a lot of friends who love it, too.

Q. I have a question. In the French Open, US Open, on the Chinese Internet, your rivalry with Novak Djokovic, people are saying that the crowd is always against these two players. How do you feel playing here?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, generally I love playing with the crowd, even if they're against me or not. I feel like many tournaments during the year, actually they let's call it love me. Some tournaments not. That's okay with me because that's how life is: some people like you, some don't for different reasons.

I'd probably say if everyone loves you, there must be a problem somewhere. We say in Russia that if everything is perfect, like something is wrong.

Here in China, it was always the case since my first time I played a challenger, it was in Shanghai, I felt love from the crowd. I don't fake it. I love Chinese culture, Chinese food, Chinese people. I love being here. I think people can feel it. They love me back.

I love playing in China. It was the same today. I felt a lot of support. So hopefully it's going to stay like this till the end of my career.