MUTUA MADRID OPEN

April 27, 2024

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/M. Arnaldi

2-6, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Walk us through the match.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, it's not easy here, like, first rounds. Match courts are completely different from practice courts, the whole atmosphere, because there you're inside the stadium. Practice courts are really, really small outside. It's a different story.

First set I was missing a lot. I didn't feel my rhythm, and I managed during the match to play better and better. Third set was top level.

So in general, happy that I managed to win the match, doesn't matter the first set, and looking forward to next rounds.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. What is the challenge of adapting your game to this surface versus playing the way that has won you matches everywhere?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I think the thing that on hard courts sometimes if I would feel like in the first set, you get more free points with the serve, first of all. On hard courts, if you play low from the net, which I know how to do, I can, in a way, push the ball.

So, like, I can for one, two, three games, just push the ball in, it's still gonna protect me with my serve so I'm probably going to win my serve and I'm going to get back in the rhythm.

On clay court, if you just push the ball, no chance. The guy is going to turn around the forehand, start moving you left and right. That's a little bit of a challenge for me sometimes. Like today when I don't feel my best, you still have to continue to hit strong and deep and try to find the rhythm like this, which is, in a way, not my style.

So I'm happy that today I managed to do it. Yeah, for me, that's always a big challenge. Like first set, the movements, I felt like I was sliding a bit too much. Everything was just a little bit off, not too much, and I managed to find it during the match to play better and better.

Q. (Question about next match.)

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, against Sebastian, we played like what, maybe four times already? Never on clay. So could be different.

Look, we had always tough matches. Had some tough losses but also two good victories and two great tournaments after beating him. That's good to know. Tough opponent.

So, yeah, it's going to be a big match, and I'm looking forward, because going to be interesting to play him on the clay court. I feel like both of us are not really clay court players, so could be interesting.

Q. It's the third time you play against Matteo. Did you see something different from your previous two matches?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I think, first of all, he's improving. Then it's very, very tough to compare when you come from hard courts to clay courts.

I felt like he played, you know, very good. One maybe really bad game from his side in the second set. It can happen. I had the same in the first. So I managed to take the second set with this game.

And then third set, in my opinion, I played a really, really great level. I had two breakpoints in two other games which I didn't make, but this, like, puts pressure and shows that I was a little bit on top in the third set.

I think he's young, he's improving. He seems very serious professional going up the rankings. So far I would say so good for him, but then it's always a question, we never know if he's going to be top 10, top 1, 5 Grand Slams, 10, 0, never know. Let's see. But he's a good guy.

Q. We have seen Rafa here. He's become a father, but you are a young father. Is that a pressure or is it better for your life?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, at least for my life it's definitely better. We wanted a kid, so we're happy to have our daughter.

For sure it changes your life, it takes your time away where, you know, before -- I mean, today is not the case. When I'm gonna come, she's going to be sleeping. But before, you practice, you have a tough day of practice, you come home, you lay on the sofa, and that's basically it. You get ready for the next day.

Now I try to, for sure, spend my days that way that I can see her, even if it's sometimes when I go to practice, not that much, but so it's a little less free time but a lot of fun moments, a lot of love. I'm only happy, because for me, tennis is something I love but it's still work. I'm not gonna put tennis above family and stuff like this.

Q. Rafa has won against de Minaur in two sets. Do you consider already Rafa one of the candidates with you and other tennis players to win this tournament?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, look, I said this because I saw his statements like in Barcelona where he said for sure he's not a favorite. I think the thing is that no matter which form Rafa is or how he's feeling, when he steps especially on clay, I would say doesn't matter if it's clay or hard court, but especially on clay, you're still scared. You're still scared of Rafa that wins like what, I don't know, 80 matches and loses 1, something like this.

And he proved it today. You know, two hours -- I didn't see the match, I was playing the same time -- but two hours, he managed to win, so probably feeling better and better. Definitely dangerous.

So let's see how he does further on, but if he can play better and better, I think it's good. It's going to be very fun and tough for other players.

Q. You had some great success last year on clay. These early results, do you just chalk them up to some years it goes like this, or do you maintain your hope that over the next month things will turn around with these big tournaments coming up?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, so far I lost just one match (smiling). But it's always different. You know, Madrid is tough to play for me. I feel like it's a tough clay court to play for me, because it's somewhere in the middle between clay courts and hard courts, and I feel like it's even worse for me than just normal clay courts.

So it was always tough for me to play in Madrid, so let's see how I do this year, because again, third set, I kind of felt like what I felt in Rome last year. I could control the point, I didn't miss much, I could return a lot of serves. So it was a great feeling.

So if I can manage to maintain this feeling, because what happened last year is I lost in Monte-Carlo quarters and, like, fourth round here, but I was happy with my game. Then I managed to play very good in Rome.

I would say in Monte-Carlo I was less happy with my game last year but I was very, very sick, so I just, okay, let's go for next one. Here in Madrid so far one match, and I'm really happy with my game. So on clay I really take it match by match, and hopefully I can build up, build up my confidence, my game, adaptations to the surface, and for sure the biggest goal is Roland Garros, so that's where I'm going to try to be the best.

Q. Have you paid much attention to discussions about the Premium Tour and the potential Masters and particularly what you think about the prospect of one day if there was a tour where there were no more 500s or 250s and there was just these big events?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, it's a tough question, because for sure I know like the details. I don't like to speak on something when I don't know the details.

Here I kind of feel like I know the details. I think, first of all, I think that one player, even like me, even like Rafa or Novak or Roger, cannot decide it. It's going to be some other guys deciding, you know, in a way where tennis goes. I just hope they're going to make it for the best, which is more fans, more people who like tennis, easier to follow and stuff like this.

Because in a way I agree that even myself, after Australian Open when I'm at home, sometimes it's not easy to follow when one tournament is Montpellier indoor hard courts and then there is Cordoba outdoor hard courts. Sometimes I'm, like, who won this tournament? Then I see, like, just don't follow like the tournament itself.

So I think tennis could do better in some aspects, but then, you know, regarding Premium Tour or Saudi first week February, I just hope the decision is going to be the best for tennis. Because you have 100 players, 50 are going to be happy; 50 are not going to be happy.

Me, myself, I just want to spend New Year's Eve because it's very important in Russia at home, so I hope I don't have to play like 27th December. But let's see how it goes. I just hope the best for tennis, best for players, for fans, just everybody to enjoy tennis. I think it's already the case but we can do even better.

Q. What do you normally do on New Year's Eve?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Not much but spend it with the family. It's like Christmas. For Russians, it's more important, New Year's Eve, than Christmas, and it's unfortunately even further away. So sometimes you can trick and maybe go to Australia on the 26th.

This year I spent with my family the New Year's Eve, and it was a very pleasant feeling. So I plan to do it more often kind of this way.

What do I do? So let me think about it. You drink Champagne at midnight, that's for sure. You just enjoy yourself. It's like a day off. You don't do anything on the 1st of January and have a lot of presents, which if you go to Australia before, you give presents on like 23rd where normally it's 31st.

So stuff like this. Just enjoying life which sometimes, because of work, you cannot do.