AUSTRALIAN OPEN

February 5, 2021

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Thanks for coming in the middle of your ATP Cup campaign, but we're here to preview hopefully the next two weeks for you. You won 12 consecutive matches dating back to last November. Is preparation going fine for next week?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I'm feeling fine, as much as I can. Everybody is in kind of the same conditions here. I think everybody gets not the preparation they can for 100%, but we do what we can.

Yeah, as more matches as I can win in ATP Cup, the better the preparation for next week in Melbourne.

Q. Things like 12 consecutive matches, is that something that registers with you?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: To be honest, not at all because it's so different. It was two months ago, the last 10 matches. ATP Cup is kind of a team tournament still. Everything is different because I would say the draw is not the same in ATP Cup. We're already in semis. It's not the same.

Still for sure it counts in the books, how we can call it. It's always nice to have this behind you. It gives you still some sort of confidence. Hopefully I can prolong it for some more matches.

Q. You have a different kind of game than a lot of players. Where does that come from? Have you always done that since you started out?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I guess so. I mean, to be honest, I have no idea. I always play to win. To win a match, if I need to hit as strong as I can, I will do it. Sometimes there are matches where I feel like I cannot just only defend or something like that, then I have to play differently.

So, yeah, it's as easy as that. I try to win the match the easier possible. Sometimes it's enough to just defend and put the ball in. Sometimes you have to go to the net. Sometimes you have to stay back. It depends.

Q. Is there one way you prefer? Do you like being creative, trying out new things? Is that entertaining for you?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I don't really care. Of course, that's why I work on practice, to have a lot of different weapons in my game. I mean, if you want to do something in the match and you've never done it on practice, you won't succeed never. So that's what we are working with my coach all the time.

We try to find new things, yeah, mix different tactics. Then on the court it's for me to decide which one is the best one. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the opponent is too good, sometimes you don't play good. It depends. It's tennis.

Q. What are the pluses and minuses for you with the Australian Open to help you go far, really deep in the event?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: About the minuses, it's actually easy. Everybody is in the same conditions, quarantine and everything. I was lucky to not be in the hard quarantine, for sure. I admit it.

But still, I'm talking only about tennis because I can understand that we cannot complain. I'm not at all complaining about the conditions. But if it's all coming from tennis point of view, you cannot prepare 100%. You try to do what you can. But it can be for somebody enough, for somebody can be not enough. We never know. Nobody is going to say here in press for who it's good, for who it's not good. That's for the minuses for everybody, for sure.

From pluses, yeah, the thing that we're in the semis of ATP Cup, have one good match to play tomorrow, hopefully can be here on Sunday. Some big match preparation, played two top-20 guys. Diego is top 10. Won them both in straight sets. That counts.

Yeah, hopefully it can help me during Australian Open.

Q. Is one of the challenges of tennis that you start off the year so quickly with one of the Super Bowls, a Champions League final, it's so quick? How do you prepare for that with a few ATP Cup matches?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I mean, that's already good because it would be tough. I know sometimes top players are able to do it, to come on first Grand Slam of the year, which is Australian Open, without any matches behind their back, just get into the tournament and are able to win it, like Roger did many times, and Novak did it few times also.

Me, I know that I need some matches in the beginning of the year. Even one, two. The more you play, the better. Then it's enough. You don't have to play 20 matches to be ready for a Grand Slam.

That's why ATP Cup is a good thing. Starting from last year was a big success. Hopefully it's going to be here for many more years as the start of the year.

Q. How confident do you feel about the Australian Open for yourself?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's always tough to say. I think from what I know from tennis players, especially of course my friends, nobody is, like, super confident before the start of the tournament. You never know how is going to be your first match. We still don't know the draw. There are always a lot of good guys of not-seeded players.

Looking back I feel quite confident with my game right now. Practiced two weeks with Roberto Bautista. Both playing really good level. I like to practice with him.

Again, ATP Cup started well. Hopefully we can make even more. So feeling quite confident, but it's never good to be too confident.

Q. What is the main message that the tennis player and organization of Australian Open sent to the world with the realization of this tournament inside this pandemic?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think for me it's a bit tough to answer as a tennis player because we came here to do our job. Tennis Australia, with Australian government, with probably Melbourne, Victorian government, made everything they could to make this tournament happen with all the restrictions that we got.

We came here to do our job. We try to follow the rules. That's the most important. We cannot say more. If finally we would not be invited here by the government and Tennis Australia, we would have to adapt, play some other tournaments.

Finally we're here. I think we're still all happy to be able to play first Grand Slam of the year coming, and that's the most important.

Q. You were talking about confidence. In London last year you had a great run, beat the top three guys. How much does that experience help you? You don't know you're going to play the top three players again, but how much different is the challenge at the Grand Slam compared to what you did there?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's definitely much bigger challenge in a Grand Slam because it's out of five sets. All of them, the top three, they're machines physically. We all know it. Hopefully I can be one of them soon also, that when people know they have to play me out of five sets, they're going to be scared because they think this guy is scary.

But, of course, I managed to beat them all in London. Was amazing run, amazing tournament. Every win against them, especially in such tournament, helps you for the future because you start to closer and closer to their level, you start to know more of what you have to do in which moment.

It's always these tight matches. One of them they win, one of them you win. It's always important who wins them in the later stages of the tournament.