ROLAND GARROS

May 23, 2025

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Daniil, how are you feeling and how are the preparations going so far?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Good. I came early here, so a lot of days. Finally I'm going to play Tuesday. Going to have even a lot more time since today, three more days.

Just looking forward. Tough first round. Same one as in Rome, which is pretty funny, but it happens sometimes in tennis. So looking forward.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you compare this Daniil Medvedev that is spending some weeks outside of the top 10 with the other one that was top 1 and Grand Slam winner having to face different kind of players now?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, it's tough to say because now we're on clay. On clay I personally feel like I'm playing, honestly, the best level of my life on clay, even considering Rome title. A lot of things came together.

If we talk about the game, like the movement, the game, the feeling of the game, I do think I play my best season on clay. So it's tough for me to answer.

On hard courts it's easier for me to answer that, yes, I'm far from the Daniil that I was on hard courts. On clay I feel like I'm even better than before. So that's all I can answer.

That's good for Roland Garros because I'll try to show it.

Q. We just had Stefanos in here. He was saying that he thinks over the last few years since when he was in the final here, he thinks the level of tennis generally has improved, that it's harder now for him than it used to be. What do you think?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Tough question. Never know. I feel like, yeah, people always knew how to play tennis, and it's always a dynamic, you know? Like we see Marin Cilic in the quallies here. Probably if you ask him, he's going to say, You know what, I'm still playing good. Yes, maybe not the way when he was in the semis here, finals of all the other slams, won the US Open.

It's just that the dynamics are changing all the time. Casper went to, what, No. 16 or 15 in the world, won Masters in Madrid, back to top 10. Who knows how he does here. Maybe well again, can jump again in the rankings.

I don't know how to answer this question. The level is strong. A lot of players play good. I think before it was the same. Before, which example, like if we talk two years ago, Jan-Lennard Struff was Lucky Loser of quallies, made final of Madrid. It's tough to say exactly about the level.

Everyone is playing strong. Everyone wants to win. It's always tough.

I do think it was the same all the time.

Q. There's a number of players ahead of you in the rankings who are younger than you, which is something that hasn't happened in a while. How do you look at that? Is there something larger going on or is it just the ebbs and flows of any sport?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think it's the same. I feel like there are two ways to see this question. Because of Rafa, Roger, Novak, and Andy, they were able past their 30s to still be, let's call it, in their prime and win Grand Slams, et cetera.

If we take them out, I feel like a lot of players after getting closer to 30 or after 30 maybe drop their level, then maybe come back. I could find you many, many examples.

Is it just that now it's, again, we're at the stage where our generation didn't have guys like Rafa, Roger, and Novak, so maybe we're getting a bit older. It's just the physical part of something getting to us. Maybe it's something else.

For example, guys like Lorenzo, he's very young, but he's not like 20 years old. He just managed to find his rhythm. He's climbing up the rankings. Same about Alex de Minaur. He's 25, I would guess. It's not like he's 19 years old. 25 or 29, yes, he's younger, but it's not like it's a young gun suddenly jumping up the rankings.

Yeah, I don't know how to answer that question better.

Q. Don't get this question wrong, nobody wants to get rid of you.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I hope so (laughter).

Q. You've been No. 1. You have won a Grand Slam tournament. You've made a lot of money. But your game takes so much effort. Do you think it's possible that from one day to another you just say I have two children now, what do I care, I stop?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Tough. No, I think same, I will take Marin as an example. I love him. I love him as a player, as an example of a sportsman. Such a hard worker. He has two children. He's still trying.

There's always a moment where he, me, everyone is going to say stop. Novak, let's see when. 38 yesterday. But for the moment not at all.

Again, I feel that I'm really not far from a great level. When I say 'great level,' where everything is possible, where finals are possible, Grand Slams are possible, everything. But this not far sometimes is the toughest step. Guys play well. Younger guys, Carlos plays well, Jannik plays well. They probably play a bit better than everyone else right now on tour.

It's not easy. But for the moment, I don't have these thoughts. I mean, I would more understand the question if I'm, like, which ranking would I put, without injuries, out of top 50 would be tough.

I'm 11. I'm, like, really close by the points to top 10. So far it's fine, but I want to be better.

Q. Obviously we have the night sessions here, potentially some late finishes. I wanted to ask you a general question about sleep. It feels like something that's quite difficult for tennis players to deal with, there's lots of time zone changes, they can play really late one day and really early the next day. Could you talk a bit about how difficult that has been to deal with throughout your career and how you have dealt with that, whether that's techniques or medication or whether you've sought any expert advice.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: First of all, I think we all get used to it. We all know sometimes you play at 11:00, sometimes you play at, well, midnight actually or 11:00 in the evening.

I think every player has their preference. I prefer to play late. Of course, I don't like to finish at, like, 3:00 in the morning. If the match starts at least 9:30 is good. I don't like the early starts because I like to sleep in general.

Advice? You have your routine, so usually when the match is 11:00, usually you would practice at 9:30, the guys. You come on-site at like 8:15. You have to wake up at 6:45. If you play late, I like it because you can wake up when you want. You have all the day to even get some naps if you want more, et cetera.

But what I really don't like is at some tournaments, here also, they start at 10:00. This I find is not good because it puts in disadvantage some of the players. 11:00 is early. Well, you have to deal with it, just deal with it, it's okay. But 10:00, I was thinking the other day, I never played at 10:00 since 10 years, but I would probably not warm up. I would go just to the match directly because otherwise you have to wake up at 6:00. I'm not an early person. This would literally make me lose the match.

I think they should never start at 10:00, start at 11:00 at least.

Q. You said earlier taking clay out of it, on hard courts you said you're far from the Daniil you used to be. How much anxiety does that cause you?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Right now not at all because we're not on hard court. On the hard courts, it did cause a little bit because when I lose, I'm angry. 'Angry' is not the right word. Sometimes angry, sometimes sad. Sometimes not happy. Let's call it not happy.

On clay, as I say, I'm happy with how I played. In a way with the results I'm not happy, but I'm losing to really great clay court players. It's tough to beat them. I lost to Casper. He won the tournament. I lost to Lorenzo. He's playing unbelievable right now.

Yeah, no anxiety at the moment because we're on clay. I do feel that the things I do on clay right now could maybe help me on hard courts, get back to the level where I was. But this we can only know in USA.

Q. How do you find the tournament, especially on clay, how changeable the conditions are, even within a tournament? Is clay the most extreme?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think all tournaments can be extreme. Grass and clay court more because it's a natural surface. Even like Wimbledon, you go from one court to another. One is going to be more worn. Maybe they played more five-set matches there. Maybe the grass was tiny bit different this year. Same for clay.

Rome is a great example. Every court there is so different, especially the Grand Stand is just like another dimension. Grand Stand plays kind of like Madrid and the rest plays completely different. So it's strange.

I would not call clay the most challenging in terms of change. Hard courts are the best, that's why I love it, because night, day, sun, it's still hard, so it's not changing too much.

Yeah, Roland Garros can be tough because sometimes it's very cold at night, try to hit a winner if you're not Carlos or Jannik. Sometimes it can be sunny day where the ball is jumping and it's tough to control. Just have to adapt.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. If you had to remember one of Rafa's strengths, what would it be?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Just one is hard. But it would be his forehand because if you don't hit it right you cannot achieve much.