US OPEN

September 6, 2026

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

F. TIAFOE/D. Medvedev

7-6, 6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Daniil, obviously not what you wanted, but your thoughts on the match.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, tough match. Just didn't play good enough to win, and that's kind of it, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Great run in the tournament. Sorry about today. Frances has obviously had such a good run at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Could you get a sense playing against him if there was something about the venue that kind of gives him that extra push? Was it the crowd, maybe? Was it just he feels more comfortable? Did you get a sense of any of that while you were out there?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Not really. I think I should have played better in some moments of the match. I should have made better shots, better decisions, actually. That's what made the difference.

In important moments, he made probably a better decision or a better shot, because in general, I had my chances. I should have won the first set. I could have won the third. Second is easy for him. I mean, easier, in a way easy for him.

So I don't think, you know, the stadium, sometimes you have the statistics, and then, you know, three years later, the statistic is gone. I don't think it has much to do with it.

Q. When the match started, it looked like he was going to hold in the first game in a matter of minutes, and then you get a really good, long break. When you don't hold that second game, do you forget that right away, or does something like that just put you in a bad mood sort of to start the match?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: No, the start of the match usually is not, especially when it's five sets, it's not that important. But of course it's better to hold. I mean, I want to say it's better to hold your serve throughout the whole match on hard courts. That's how you win. Not only, but it's better.

But it's more, yeah, when I served at 6-5, I should have done much better. On the first tiebreak, probably, as well. More, yeah, the first set I felt like I could do much better in many moments. And actually, the only moment where I feel like was just a fight was the first two games, where I was, kind of, say, it didn't matter yet, but then I should have done better in the whole other set.

Q. How differently do you take losses now compared to earlier in your career? Is it the same, would you say?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Different. I'm not sure it's better as a sportsman, I mean, as someone who wants to be No. 1 in the world, but it is what it is.

With age, you just, you know, I see so many losses, so just another one. For sure wanted to do better, but yeah, I didn't play well enough. That's why I'm out. On to the next one.

Q. You changed your racquet in the tiebreak. You were alternating?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I was kind of feeling that maybe I feel better with one on the serve but not feeling good on the baseline with it. Was just trying to find something to maybe work, and I kind of say it kind of worked but not good enough to win the tiebreak.

Q. I'm working on a story about the record for longest gaps any players have between winning Grand Slam titles, which is about five-and-a-half years. You're at five years now. It's a few players. Men and women too. There's a sort of ceiling of five-and-a-half years, for whatever reason, so far. For you, how hard does it feel to do it again? Obviously a top-10 player, you could have won this tournament in some way. Do you feel you're close, or do you feel like there is a gap or a hard stop where it becomes too hard to create that moment again, that magic again?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think that's the beauty of sport. Tennis is anything can happen in a matter of a couple of weeks. Sometimes it's magic. Sometimes there are magical stories, like Vacherot winning Shanghai, which is still unbelievable. He's a great player, but it's still unbelievable.

There are many stories like this. Anything can happen.

At this moment, I guess I'm doubting myself a little bit, and that's the case of today's match. You know, we can talk about Frances, we can talk about me, but the reality is I lost three sets to love, and I know I can play ten times better than I did today. Was it a bad match, no, but I can play so much better. If I want to win Grand Slams, I need to play better.

That's basically it. I do believe I can, because I show it from time to time on the tennis court. But I just need to become more consistent, and yeah, play better more times.

Q. Given how things were going for you before this tournament, what's your appraisal of how things went during your time here at the Open?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's like today's match. It's not bad, but if I'm happy with the fourth round, I better stop playing tennis.

I'm not happy with the result. I'm happy with the way I managed to turn things around kind of. Played three good matches.

Maybe if you talk about rankings, first two opponents you know, coming from quallies, wildcard. But Arthur is a tough opponent, and I managed to beat him three sets to love. But today, disappointing match, disappointing level.

So I'm definitely not happy, but it's maybe a bit better than what I would expect after the three U.S. tournaments before.

Q. I know you just said obviously it wasn't your best match. You wanted to be a little higher level. But from Frances' perspective, I wonder if you've noticed anything different about his game this year? He's talked about how he's kind of trying to refocus and improve that way.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I mean, I feel like he played -- we all play, it's so tough to change your game. So I feel like he played like he plays, maybe a bit less errors.

Yeah, that's how I would say was the biggest difference, probably. But again, he knows how I play, I know how he plays, and it's a matter of making shots when you need to make them, making serves when you need to make them, putting pressure in important moments and stuff like this.

Again, this is all of what I didn't manage to do well enough today and all of what he managed to do well enough today. So the score is there.