Thursday, March 13, 2025

Daniil Medvedev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/A. Fils

6-4, 2-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Daniil, well done. First of all, your celebration, which is trending everywhere...

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I didn't see it yet, but yeah, I mean, first of all, I lost three very tight matches this year, two of which I was really close to winning, Tien and and Griekspoor. The more you lose matches like this, the more you lose confidence in these tight moments.

I remember one time 2018, I was actually surprised, I didn't follow the statistic, but I had like 20 tiebreaks won in a row, something like this. This is a matter of confidence. Sometimes you are; sometimes you are not.

If I would have lost this one, I would have felt bad. And also, I was actually, if I would make a winner on match point, I would probably be less excited, because I was surprised, I thought the point is over and we go again, and he missed it. It happens. I was surprised, and that got my adrenaline too much. I couldn't control it (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. So do you go back to no celebrations if you win the semifinal?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I don't know. Depends the match. Depends the moment.

I mean, today was an amazing match, amazing crowd, amazing match, tough one with the wind and everything, but I felt like high level from both of us. Was just a great feeling to win it.

I mean, always a great feeling, but sometimes, you know, personally I never understood when it's like 5-1, 40-Love and the guy goes crazy. Yeah, well, we can lose matches like this, but most of the time you're, like, yeah, probably win it, and that's why me, if it's like 5-2, 40-Love, I'm like, okay, I just do on my serve, the match is over, it's okay.

Everyone is different. Let's see.

Q. Have you actually watched a video of the celebration?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Not yet. Not yet. I kind of see myself what I did, so I don't even need to watch it.

I mean, the adrenaline got my going. I jumped next to him. Then I was, like, sorry, man, I usually don't celebrate like this, but it's okay, it can happen.

Q. He said he didn't expect the shot to come back from you.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: He said it?

Q. Yeah.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: That's funny.

Q. Also, I guess, I think there were a couple of points before, the return of serve in the deuce court, gave you the first match point.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah.

Q. I guess both of those shots, did you expect either of them to go in, and are those the sort of shots that, as you mentioned, you lost matches by very slim margins before, those are the sort of shots you just sort of, like, if you make them you win the match, if you don't, you lose it?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Exactly. That's tennis. When I played Tallon, one thing is match points, but the other thing is 4-1 he touches the line on the tiebreak. 4-3 he touches the line on the tiebreak. 5-4 he touches the line on the tiebreak.

That's how tennis is sometimes. You know, you need to touch this line. He missed by very small margin, the shot on 7-All, I don't think I had it, so if it would touch the line it would be probably match point for him. It happens.

I run, I fight. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. I was happy it worked out today.

Q. You said on court that if you had lost, you were going to cry in the locker room. Have you ever cried in the locker room?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Cried? Definitely when I was younger. On the ATP Tour maybe when I was younger.

Now there are less chances. Frustrated, yeah, more than crying. Cry? I don't know. Tough to say. Probably not.

Crying? I don't know. Tough to say. Probably not. But yeah, when I was, like, 20 I would cry more, and then I got a bit tougher as a person (smiling).

Q. Welcome to the semifinals. Two finals in the past. Great results.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Unbelievable. Best tournament.

Q. Are you finally becoming friendly with those kind of slow hard courts?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I don't know. It's tough to say, because the balls are slow, in my opinion, every tournament. So I wonder if now with the slow balls, even like fast hard courts don't give me much advantage, and I kind of at least have this advantage of slow hard courts where it's slow for everyone kind of. Just because of the balls, I don't know.

But the result is that I'm playing good here in Indian Wells. I'm enjoying it more and more every year. I love coming back and I'm happy, really happy to be in the semifinals here.

Q. If you could comment maybe about the approach Arthur had in the second set? Seemed like he went for the slice a lot, and it was sort of effective.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I mean, first of all, Arthur made a great match. That's why you didn't see me going crazy or frustrated, because I was playing great. I knew, look, I'm doing what I can, I'm playing really good. I'm making good shots, and he's just a bit better at the moment. I think it was 4-2 in the third.

I was, like, if I continue this way I will have maybe my chance to come back. If I don't, congrats and we go to the next one.

So he played a great match. Tactics was tough because it was very windy. Whatever shots we both were doing, it was even sometimes a little bit, depending who got the swirl, like some of the shots you get the swirl and you frame it or you miss it.

So I don't know if he did change something drastically tactically, but I felt like all the sets were kind of played in a similar manner, and it was just a little bit of a who's tougher, who's more stronger on the important points, and I'm happy to -- I think it actually, the tiebreak in the third set was kind of deserved, and then the tiebreak was the tiebreak.

Q. When was the last time you were as excited as the end of that match? When the children were born or something else?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I mean, in a way I just didn't control it because I was so surprised that I won it on this shot. But for sure, like, when I beat Zverev in Australian Open was an unbelievable feeling.

I mean, even when I beat Ruusuvuori, it's the same. I think it was 6-0, so the final point was, like, okay, it's just another point to win the match. But the excitement was there because it was a crazy match.

But to celebrate like this, I remember US Open 2019 against Rublev, because I had some physical struggles during the COVID, during the lockdown, and I didn't know how I'm gonna come back to tour, like I thought I'm gonna need a lot more time.

And was a good match, and I was kind of same, surprised to win it. I was really excited. I think I celebrated it. Sometimes it happens.

Q. A question about Holger. You faced him three times. You talked about the fact that he's not always that consistent, but when he gets this deep in the draw he can be really tough. Can you talk about the talent he possesses and how good he can be when he is playing his best?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Talent is really, like, strong, great, I don't know how you say it, because he has, I would say, probably every shot that you can have in tennis.

Good slice, good dropshot, good volley. He can spin, he can play flat, he can serve well, he can kick well. I feel like he has every shot.

I wonder even if maybe sometimes it disturbs him, because when you have like that many arms, might even be tricky.

But as I say, I think we all see him, probably he knows that sometimes he's not consistent in beginning of tournaments, but when he's like deep there, he's a tough player to beat.

So I'm expecting a tough match. I need to play well. I'm doing it right now. I'm looking forward.