BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 4, 2025

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Daniil, welcome back to the desert. How is the preparation going so far? Of course you played a lot of tournaments in February. Do you feel your best performance coming back slowly?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I have just been here two days. Still very jet lagged and tired.

In general, yeah, my level was going every tournament this year was better and better. So if I manage to continue the same way, good results are going to come, because, yeah, level was better and better every week. So try to do the same here in Indian Wells.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You had one of the more famous comments about these courts, and now they have redone them and sped them up. Have you hit on them yet or maybe not yet? How are you finding them?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I did, and I will be honest with you, it's okay, I like Indian Wells, I even like the courts now, but they seem to be almost slower than before, very slow. I don't know what other players think, but as I said, I just had two days, jet lagged. So you're not very, how you say, when you don't see the things maybe in the right way. So I won't be able to tell you that I'm sure what I'm saying.

But, yeah, I played two days, and they seemed very, very slow, so let's see how it plays during the tournament. And I didn't see the difference. Like, today I accidentally, my racquet fell down from my hand, I didn't throw it (smiling), really, and from the low height, and the grip was completely, you know, torn, just because of how rough the court is, and when it's rough it's slow.

Q. You have always been very open, speaking your mind, whether it's on the court or sharing your thoughts with the media.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: On court I should speak less.

Q. I wonder where that comes from, did that take some time for you to feel comfortable opening up?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, first of all, as I say, I do think on the court I should talk less.

The thing is that here, I think that I speak what I think. On the court sometimes I say things which I don't really think. It's just because of the adrenaline, the stakes, the pressure of the moment, I sometimes say things which after the game I can clearly say I did not think this, it's not true.

I don't really know how to answer this question because I feel like I've always been like this. I just don't always tell what I think, but, like, sometimes I keep things to myself, but if I speak about something, I prefer to speak openly than to say like the PR statements or something like this.

Q. You changed strings last year and it helped you, especially your return. In general, some of these courts are so slow. Do you ever think you might be able to switch racquets? Is that not something that...

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: The thing is that I'm someone -- I got this question last week -- and I do think I'm someone who's reluctant I think is the word to change, so I'm not easy changing things.

There are already till 2023 I played racquets, strings, all the same, I just played my game. Then I needed to change because of the 2022 year where the balls started getting slow.

There is a limit where you have to always search for this change, and at the same time, the more you change things, the more questions you ask yourself.

So I did try a couple of same Tecnifibre racquets but a bit heavier, pace, this and that. But for the moment, sticking to my racquet, which, you know, gave me a lot of good moments in my career. I don't think I will ever change it too much. Maybe strings, stuff like this, yes. Racquet, I'm not sure, because there is then elbow, shoulder, and too many questions.

Q. The racquet frame, weight, the same you have had since the beginning of your pro career?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, not really since the beginning because I changed it when I was 21 years old, I think when I changed I was 330, and then when I changed I made the year end, I went into the top 100.

And I do change very tiny specs on it. And Tecnifibre changes the frame, changes the color, but it's not, how you call it, it's not drastic changes. Which, again, I'm not sure I will be able to do it because I'm too scared of all the things going after through your brain. Like taking stupid example, but Stefanos won the tournament, and it's amazing, but who knows at one moment if, like, he loses two matches, then you're like is it a good racquet or maybe not? I don't want these problems.

Q. After all you have achieved in your career, and in more recent times some of the results have been a little bit erratic, which is so different for you, does that cross your mind? Are you concerned about some of those results for somebody like yourself who has been No. 1, achieved so much?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It annoys me to not be able to -- it's not only about playing your best level, but yeah, to normally achieve results that I'm maybe used to that I maybe used to have. At the same time, tennis is such a sport where you just continue going, keep working. As I said, the level was going up.

I mean, I said it actually after the match with Tal in Dubai, I feel like this year I had three matches where it was really close and could have gone my way, didn't go my way, the guys played good or whatever, tennis match, and I don't think there was one match where I could kind of say the same for me where luck was a little bit on my side and I got a little bit like lucky, 7-6 in the third or something like this. This match is going to happen at one point in the season for me also, and that's when the momentum is going to change.

You just keep going. I'm here in Indian Wells, so the beginning of the season was not like usually, but I'm going to try here to win the tournament. If not, it's in Miami. If not, it's clay. You keep going, you keep working. As I say, it annoys me, but I'm just going to keep going.

Q. (Question about coming to Indian Wells.)

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I would say postcard, like, doesn't give me crazy feelings. I'm more about different things. But I really started to love this tournament, because first couple of times when I came, I was, like, first of all, to come here is a disaster, and you go to LA, you have a crazy long flight, and you're not even here. You have 2:30 to 4 hours, depending the traffic, to come here.

First two times, I come here, it's desert, not much to do. I got very sick the first time I came here. I had mononucleosis. I was, like, wow, I really hate this tournament in a way, like I don't understand. Everybody was speaking such good things.

Now I totally love it. I have so many things, like, discovered so many things to do here. I don't like golf, but there is a crazy race circuit here, close by, the Thermal. It's just unbelievable.

So every time I try to go there at least once before the tournament. And then in case the tournament doesn't work out well, I'm there every day. Like first couple of years stayed in the hotel. Now we have a house, and it's just a nice feeling with the team. We play pool during the evenings. We cook. Yeah, just now I absolutely love coming here.