ROLAND GARROS

June 3, 2024

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

A. de MINAUR/D. Medvedev

4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Tough luck today. Can you explain if there were any physical issues behind that loss.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: No, not at all. I had a blister, it didn't help me to call the physio, but I had a blister that got a little irritated so needed to take care of it.

No, Alex played better. To be honest, I'm disappointed to lose, but I don't have anything to tell myself in a tough way like I was not, I don't know, good attitude today or I was not fighting till the end. I did all of this. He played better. My best was not enough today, so looking forward to next ones.

Q. Can I ask where you think that de Minaur has improved in his game? Is he a different player to the one you played even last year in the US Open?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It depends, because today he played, in my opinion, probably the best match we played. I mean, it's a different surface, but even, like, I watched his matches on clay this year to try to see which tactic to play, et cetera. I didn't see him play like this. He was missing more. He was serving -- I mean, his serve today, he was serving better than most guys I played on clay, so that was surprising.

So the question is today he improved, like, big time in every aspect. Then it comes to the point where we know that Alex can beat anyone. I think he did already beat Novak, everyone, I don't know, Rafa. But then it's a question of whether you're ready to do it week in, week out, and become 1 in the world, 2 in the world, 3 in the world. He's close there, so he's a top player. Then it's a question what he does in quarters. If he plays the same like he played today or no, let's see.

Q. Your fellow Russian Mirra, I think she's a set up. If she wins she will be in the quarterfinals for the first time. I wonder if you could talk about her as a player and also the challenge of being, I think she's still 17, being a young player on tour. What are those challenges and how did you get through them as a younger player?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, a young player on tour, I don't know, at 17 I was only playing juniors. I had zero pro points. It's a different life for her.

I wish her the best. She's a nice girl. I hope she can win everything. She has the talent. Yeah, life in tennis is not easy. Let's see how she copes up with it.

I have the feeling that she likes to work, she likes to play, she likes to win. That's the most important, and the rest will come.

I hope already here she can go somewhere far, because it's a great story. Again, I think we don't know each other too close, but we played mixed doubles this winter, and had tough luck against Badosa and Stefanos.

Yeah, I wish her all the best. And let's see.

Q. Now that you're out, who do you think is going to win the tournament?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Oh, very, very tough to say. Well, you know, I always think predictions are a little bit disrespectful, because when you say someone, it's like you're a bit underestimating the other guys.

But I would say that statistically -- well, I saw Novak struggling with his leg or something, so this, I don't know. At the moment seeing Novak struggling with his leg, I would say Carlos or Jannik because they are both playing good. Jannik had a tough one yesterday, managed to come back.

So it's just, you know, statistically, they both have a slam, they have experience. They are top 2, 3 in the world, so my opinion, Carlos or Jannik. But let's see.

Q. I'm wondering if there are still any physical issues with the shoulder or something like that, because your serve might not be as mighty as two years ago.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, to be honest, I felt like this tournament my serve was exactly or, I mean, better, cannot say better like two years ago. It's clay. Today I felt like I served very good, but clay has always been the surface where serve doesn't count too much.

So I hope I can continue serving exactly like I did here on grass and hard courts, and it could be I think big. It's getting better.

You know, the thing about tennis, what is tough sometimes, you have pain every day somewhere. Small pain, big pain. It started with a small pain which you don't even think about too much and you think tomorrow is going to go away. Then when you still have it in two months you think, okay, maybe there is something. But it's like a little bit in, it's a little bit out.

The thing is that what happened, like, six months ago maybe when I was stopping to play it was growing, the pain. So it was a bit surprising. When I was coming back on the practice court I couldn't practice it because the pain was big.

Then I went on tournaments and it would go down and I could serve. But without practice my serve decreased a little bit. Here, as I said after Rome, I'm feeling better. We did a big job with my team, and I could practice serve and I was serving at least my best on clay, you know, I was serving good, I was really happy with my serve.

So I hope I can continue this way and, again, if I serve like I did here, I can serve like I did before.

Q. I don't know if you were asked about the foot. What was that? Also, just serving to stay in the match, how much pressure were you feeling at that stage?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: To be honest, not much. I changed, like, the tension a little bit when it was 30-Love just to try something, like a last push. Then because of this, it was tougher to serve because sensations were not the same.

So question is should I have maybe kept the same racquet I had and, like, try to build pressure on him. I decided at 30-Love that I'm not sure it would work. I want to try something different for the last bit of the match and try to turn it around. Didn't work.

And about the foot, yeah, it's not a problem. Just blister. Nothing serious. But it's, like, I felt it, it could open up a bit, and so I called the physio to tape it. No, it didn't bother me at all, like, I could run and everything.