D. MEDVEDEV/H. Rune
7-5, 6-4
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Daniil. Welcome back to the semifinal stage, Indian Wells. It's also a first Masters 1000 semifinal after a title in Rome last year. Are you satisfied with where you are?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I heard that stat, and I thought, damn, I should do better than this. But it's okay. I'm very satisfied to be back in the semis. I beat very tough opponents. Maybe even tough, the ones I kind of in a way don't like to play against in terms of tactics, rhythm, and stuff like this.
Tough conditions to play today with the wind, so really happy to be able to win and looking forward to Saturday.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. You gave us another meme but it seemed like sort of a misunderstanding between you and Holger. Did you get a chance to speak to him?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: 100%, yeah. The thing is that we're living in such a world now with social media, this is probably this is going to be there for like, I don't know, 10 years. And the good points that we had, they were amazing, gonna be in one day no one remembers.
It is what it is. What happened on the court, it's good that it already on the court it was, like, over. I didn't see him say sorry, so for sure I get a ball in me, which is not a problem, this can happen. Usually sorry, sorry, whatever. I didn't see it, but he did it.
I didn't know. I get crazy, I get mad. Carlos tells me he said sorry, he tells me he said sorry. I say sorry that I didn't see you say sorry. And all is done.
I don't think there is a continuation to this story. Yeah, hopefully.
Q. So all is done. I mean, does that sort of thing happen with another player or is it something about Holger?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Oh, no, nothing against Holger. As I say, it's just I didn't see him say sorry after he went for me, you know. And I don't think, again, I do this sometimes also. You know, you run for the balls, it's not an easy ball because you go cross, you go line, it's actually a good tactic to go at your opponent, but then you say sorry and you forget about it.
Normally, you know -- well, I'm not going to go to other situations. I think that when you say sorry usually this gets forgotten straightaway and stuff like this.
I didn't see it. So I got mad. But it was, it happened, and then when they both told me it happened, that's when I was from my side, sorry for my reaction. Let's move forward, yeah.
Q. Curious if you have watched much of Tommy Paul at this tournament so far?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: A little bit. He seems to be playing well. I think first match against Michelsen I was in the lounge waiting for my match. I saw it. I think he won pretty easy. I saw actually the first set today, which he won easily. I didn't see the rest of the match.
He seems to be playing well. We actually practiced before the tournament, played two games, broke each other, normal for Indian Wells.
Looking forward. We didn't have that many matches so looking forward for a tough battle.
Q. I think you had a run-in with a spider when you were a junior. Curious what you thought when you saw the bees on court today.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I'm a bit scared of insects, to be honest. Whenever there is a bee, everyone is, like, don't move. As we saw with the guy, normally they don't bite when you don't, like...
I usually sit like this for five seconds and then I'm like, Wah, just get away. I would be probably sprinting out of the court.
But yeah, crazy situation. I don't think this ever happened in tennis. Unbelievable. When I saw it on TV, I was like, wow, okay, let's see how it evolves. Then 10 minutes I see Sascha coming in the locker room. Okay, it didn't go well. Yeah, it was crazy situation. I don't think it can ever happen again. Unbelievable.
Q. Basically there are two, maybe three really young guys who look like they're really going to be the future of the sport. Of course Carlos and Sinner and maybe Rune. For the fun of it and down the line, say, in ten years, which one do you think will...
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: What are we talking about? Grand Slams? No. 1? Masters 1000s?
Q. We'll say slams.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Slams, yeah, that's what I thought.
Oh, tough. Bold guess. At the moment you want to say Sinner, right? But Carlos is super strong also. You know what, let's put it this way, Carlos and Sinner with same number of slams in ten years. Then at the end of their career, I don't know (smiling).
Q. You just mentioned that some of the opponents you had this week were challenging tactically. What did you mean by that? How do you adapt your own tactics in response?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I think, you know, with Grigor usually we have super physical matches. The last one he beat me, and even when I beat him it's 7-3 for me. All the matches go sometimes to the tiebreak, three sets, three hours and stuff like this.
As I said last time, this time it was very fast court so perfect for me. Again, Grigor, he can beat anybody. Slices a lot, so not easy.
Holger, same. He mixes the rhythm well. So I for sure like the most when kind of same rhythm, when I have the control of the point. Holger doesn't give you this never.
Korda just hits winners out of nowhere. All of them tough to play, and I managed to beat him. Every match different in their own story. I managed to win all of them so really happy and looking forward.
Q. You had a great tournament last year here. Not such a great final, but how much would it mean to you to get back and maybe rectify that a little bit in the final this year?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I feel like I'm feeling better than last year. Last year was crazy with the ankle. I even kind of forgot about it. To be able to win Indian Wells and Miami, I had an ankle, it was nothing too bad. It was big like this (indicating). Barely get into the shoe.
Especially the quarters, so after the match with Zverev, before the match I could barely walk, and then for sure the painkiller. Then on the match I was actually fine. I was, like, okay, let's go for it against Davidovich.
Last year was crazy. This year I feel is a little bit more calm and straightforward, so maybe I can do better than last year. Let's see.
Q. We are still in the early stages of the year. Have you set targets for this year, goals, ambitions?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, I did at the beginning of the year. You know, the time goes so fast that you tend to forget about them. Also, you constantly change. You go one week from one place to another. Sometimes you feel worse; you feel better.
If we talk strictly about tennis, probably be even more consistent, I feel like I'm somewhat consistent, you know, has been for a long time. For example, yeah, I haven't been in the semis of a Masters since Rome. I want to do better.
I want to maybe play less tournaments but try to, yeah, to be better in those tournaments. The goal for sure, biggest goals are slams, Olympic Games, and I'm going to try there, I'm going to play to die, yeah.
Q. You have this bizarre statistic of never winning a tournament twice, right? Does it give you more confidence when you're playing a tournament that you haven't won before at this point?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I don't know if it's a pressure but I really want to do it somewhere. Next chance is Miami. Then actually for long time I'm not gonna have a chance because going to be only Rome.
Yeah, I really want to try to win something second time, but until it's not there, it could be fun trying to get title somewhere I didn't win. Let's see how it goes. If I can manage to do it here, I'm happy to continue this statistic, yeah.
Q. Off tennis, I was reading an article a little while ago where Dasha, your wife, has said the baby has got such a strong personality like you.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Where did she say it? I think she never gives interviews, but...
Q. It was some quote in a magazine.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Okay, okay, okay.
Q. She says the baby, the little one is very much like you with a strong personality. She finds it difficult sometimes. Is the little one really like you?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Well, I think it definitely, like all the babies, have something from both of us. But if we talk about me, that sometimes is my problem on the court. So for coaches it's not that easy to coach me, because for me to, like, I trust what they say, but for me to fully like commit and believe in it, I kind of need the results straightaway.
Let's say my coach tells me on the clay to spin more. I'm going to for 10 minutes spin, and I'm like, See, I don't put one ball in the court. I'm going to start doubting and maybe play flat.
Then, yeah, but when I myself commit to something and believe something, that's when I go for it. No matter the result.
So the same, yeah, I'm trying, I read some books, I'm trying, you know, to have a different -- I'm trying to be a good father in my own approach, and I want that she learns herself many things, and I'm there to help if she needs help.
The thing I hate the most in life is when someone, and it happens like even in player, the lounges sometimes, some coach from women, from WTA, would come to me and say, you have to go to the net more. I'm like, what the hell? That's the thing I hate the most in life. I really want to be there for my children when they need help but I don't want to be invasive.
What happens, I talk to my daughter, I'm like, If you need help I'm there. She's like me, she doesn't want any help. If you try to help her she starts screaming, and says, Go away, I need to do it myself. So that's definitely my character. Yeah, I'm proud of it. (Laughter.)
Q. I know you have had some complicated feelings about this hard court in the past. What does it feel like on a day like tonight when it's so cold out there and it's been windy?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Today was really tough. I think it's a bit faster this year. I would guess that Stadium 2 is much slower, because I played just one match there. It was unbelievable slow, like, even now maybe slower than last year. Stadium feels pretty fast, to be honest.
That's good for me. Today, yeah, was struggle for both of us, because basically from one side you have control of the point, but you need to be really careful to not overdo it, otherwise it flies straightaway with the wind.
From the other side, you feel like no matter what you do, you don't have control of the point. So both sides, it's very tricky and you need to find your rhythm, to find a good shot at a good moment, and I managed to do it many times and I'm proud of it.
Q. Four elements in the sport of tennis: Serve, forehand, backhand, mental toughness. Of the players you have faced, who is the toughest on serve, forehand, backhand, mental toughness?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Serve, I'll go with Carlos just because I think he has the record for aces. I played him one time on grass and not on central court. I couldn't return a ball. Let's go with him.
Forehand, I would go with Roger. I played him unfortunately when I was not at my top form, but yeah, I remember basically as soon as you touch a forehand, you're in trouble.
Backhand, hmm. Who brings me the most trouble on the backhand? I like my backhand, so I like to play backhand cross with guys. Alcaraz. In my opinion, Alcaraz has a very good backhand. Yeah, so let's go with him.
Mental toughness, Rafa. Rafa, for sure. He brings intensity, like you get very tired during the match because of the aura of the match and that's his toughness and that's why he's so good.
