QATAR EXXONMOBIL OPEN

February 18, 2025

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/K. Khachanov

4-6, 7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Well done, Daniil. Great match against the defending champion.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I thought about this before the match. He's defending champion, but I won it two years ago and didn't come back, so kind of the battle of defending champions.

Tough match, tough start. I think he was playing better than me until one point in the match. Then it was kind of even, and I managed to win the second set. And then third set I played better. Happy that I managed to improve my level during the match, and I think third set was really great for me, so looking forward for next matches.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What a match. A turning point of the match was in the second set, 4-all, you are behind 15-30, and you risk it all going to the net, but it paid off. It is not your usual style, you're a baseliner, but at that point you chose to go to the net. What was going through your mind? Was it like an all-out attack, I will win, I win, or if I lose, I lose, or is it premeditated from before the match?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: No, I always try to choose the best shot in the situation. If you look at my matches, of course I don't go to the net like some other players, but I don't think there will be a match where I not one time I go to the net. So, I do sometimes, and I don't actually remember this point, so, yeah, I don't remember it, so I cannot tell you what went through my mind.

Probably, yeah, as I said, you know, sometimes it's about looking at your opponent. Sometimes you are like, Oh, maybe he's going to miss, so you go a little bit more defensive. Sometimes it's you under pressure, so you say, Okay, maybe you feel I can miss, or maybe it was just a good shot to play. I don't remember this point, but I sometimes go to the net, and I'm happy when I win points there.

Q. You have a great record against Karen, and also Andrey, you know each other since you are really at a young age. Is it something that you do against them to have this kind of advantage, and also, how is it for you to come back, like today, you have an extra confidence when you're down on the scoreboard, comparing to other players?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, first of all, about the head-to-head, I personally think that head-to-head is always, you know, if we look match by match, every match was tough. Today he could have won, and it would be, I think, 5-3, which is closer and closer. I had this against Jannik, I was up, what, 6-0, and now he's ahead.

A new match is a new match. I, for sure, like, I kind of know the tactic I want to play against them, but they for sure know how they want to play against me also because we know each other so well. It's just a matter of this exact match managed to work for me, and the previous one, yes, but the one before in Monaco I lost. So, new match, new story.

Today, I think, yeah, I think also a lot of confidence of playing the third set the way I played, so looking forward to tomorrow, and for sure will try to play how I finished the match today.

Q. Doha is the only tournament that all the Russian players, Rublev, Khachanov, and you won it, and before in the past Davydenko won it in 2010.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: True, true. A lot, yeah. Marat should have won here (laughing.)

Q. What in Doha makes it special to the Russian players, is it like hard courts or what?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Maybe, yeah. I think we probably have more titles in general on hard courts. If we talk about me, Davydenko, Safin, and Kafelnikov, I'm not sure, but Andrey, Karen, we probably have more hard court titles, so of course it's favorable.

I think, yeah, we just like it here, so we come back. A lot of the times it's me, Andrey, playing here. Me, it's only actually the second time, but they played much more, Karen and Andrey. When we play, we always try to win, and let's see for this year, maybe one of us can win, too.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the upgrade this year in Doha. Obviously you played here a few times when it was a 250, is there anything specific you noticed you've liked about the upgrade this year in the tournament in terms of the facilities, and in general what is it you like about coming here to Doha?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I played it only once as a 250 and, honestly speaking, it was already great. So, I think, you know, when you have a Masters 1000 the draw is bigger, more players, sometimes it's a combined, then it's probably a lot like to do and to think about it.

When it's 250 or 500, there are, for sure, like small improvements, but in general, you know, it was already great tournament. It was, I think, many times elected as the best 250. When you're elected as the best 250 you can be 500 in terms of organization and everything.

So, like warmup area became bigger, which is good. I think the locker room is newer, but it was already good before, so now it's even better. It's just a great tournament, everyone is happy to come back. I think it's a great organization, and just a good tournament in general, yeah.

Q. I was wondering if you looked at it, like today the tickets are sold out. So, like, atmosphere or spectators or something, if you compare this tournament to other tournaments, like Europe or America, did you see any specific things about this tournament?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: No, I think, honestly, like, we travel all around the world, and we like to play tennis, we like when the stadium is full. Honestly speaking, a lot of tournaments are full, sold out. Then there are countries that maybe are more into tennis. Like Italy, probably like when you go to Rome it's crazy. When you go to Turin it's crazy. Some countries maybe it's a little bit calmer, which actually sometimes I like, because I'm from somewhere where it's kind of calm.

I think this is actually one thing, that a 500 brings a lot more top players, so this is important for the tournament. When there are top players the tickets will be sold out more, so that's definitely a good thing here. But if not, it's another tournament, it's a very good one, and no real difference.

Q. My question is a bit personal. We had the honor of meeting you on many conferences. You are a very laid-back character on the conference call, very funny.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Be careful. I'm going to get angry now (laughing.)

Q. On the court you are a little bit angry, you are focused, you are strict. So how do you separate between the two characters, and which one is closer to your true self?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Almost like a bipolar, right? (Laughing.)

When I'm on the court I'm focused, adrenaline is kicking in. Here, I now have zero adrenaline. When I don't have adrenaline in my body, I'm very easy, I don't see like why should I be angry, etcetera.

On the court it's a different story, it was since I was young, and I can see it a little bit in my daughter. Whenever I've worked with someone, like psychologist and etcetera, you try to find reasons, maybe it's from childhood, this, that. But, well, my daughter, we didn't even have time yet to educate her, and she acts like me sometimes. Maybe it's in the genes.

But you said it right. On the court I play to win. I play, you know, you play to die, to compete, the only thing that matters is to win the match.

Things can happen, so you get angry. I got angry today because I was losing the first set because I didn't feel that I played well. I managed to focus back, but, yeah, definitely not laid back.

But I separate very easy, because on the court it demands so much energy from me, focus. I'm very happy that here I'm easy, and like this tomorrow I can come back to the court and be focused again.