Australian Open Friday, 5 February 2021 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Daniil Medvedev Press Conference

creative, trying out new things? Is that entertaining THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. for you?

Q. Thanks for coming in the middle of your ATP Cup DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I don't really care. Of course, campaign, but we're here to preview hopefully the that's why I work on practice, to have a lot of different next two weeks for you. You won 12 consecutive weapons in my game. I mean, if you want to do matches dating back to last November. Is something in the match and you've never done it on preparation going fine for next week? practice, you won't succeed never. So that's what we are working with my coach all the time. DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I'm feeling fine, as much as I can. Everybody is in kind of the same conditions here. I think We try to find new things, yeah, mix different tactics. everybody gets not the preparation they can for 100%, Then on the court it's for me to decide which one is the but we do what we can. best one. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the opponent is too good, sometimes you Yeah, as more matches as I can win in ATP Cup, the don't play good. It depends. It's tennis. better the preparation for next week in Melbourne. Q. What are the pluses and minuses for you with the Q. Things like 12 consecutive matches, is that Australian Open to help you go far, really deep in the something that registers with you? event?

DANIIL MEDVEDEV: To be honest, not at all because DANIIL MEDVEDEV: About the minuses, it's actually it's so different. It was two months ago, the last 10 easy. Everybody is in the same conditions, quarantine matches. ATP Cup is kind of a team tournament still. and everything. I was lucky to not be in the hard Everything is different because I would say the draw is quarantine, for sure. I admit it. not the same in ATP Cup. We're already in semis. It's not the same. But still, I'm talking only about tennis because I can understand that we cannot complain. I'm not at all Still for sure it counts in the books, how we can call it. It's complaining about the conditions. But if it's all coming always nice to have this behind you. It gives you still from tennis point of view, you cannot prepare 100%. You some sort of confidence. Hopefully I can prolong it for try to do what you can. But it can be for somebody some more matches. enough, for somebody can be not enough. We never know. Nobody is going to say here in press for who it's Q. You have a different kind of game than a lot of good, for who it's not good. That's for the minuses for players. Where does that come from? Have you everybody, for sure. always done that since you started out? From pluses, yeah, the thing that we're in the semis of DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I guess so. I mean, to be ATP Cup, have one good match to play tomorrow, honest, I have no idea. I always play to win. To win a hopefully can be here on Sunday. Some big match match, if I need to hit as strong as I can, I will do it. preparation, played two top-20 guys. Diego is top 10. Sometimes there are matches where I feel like I cannot Won them both in straight sets. That counts. just only defend or something like that, then I have to play differently. Yeah, hopefully it can help me during Australian Open.

So, yeah, it's as easy as that. I try to win the match the Q. Is one of the challenges of tennis that you start easier possible. Sometimes it's enough to just defend off the year so quickly with one of the Super Bowls, a and put the ball in. Sometimes you have to go to the net. Champions League final, it's so quick? How do you Sometimes you have to stay back. It depends. prepare for that with a few ATP Cup matches?

Q. Is there one way you prefer? Do you like being DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I mean, that's already good

104308-2-1001 2021-02-05 02:28:00 GMT Page 1 of 2 because it would be tough. I know sometimes top guys. How much does that experience help you? players are able to do it, to come on first Grand Slam of You don't know you're going to play the top three the year, which is Australian Open, without any matches players again, but how much different is the behind their back, just get into the tournament and are challenge at the Grand Slam compared to what you able to win it, like Roger did many times, and Novak did it did there? few times also. DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's definitely much bigger Me, I know that I need some matches in the beginning of challenge in a Grand Slam because it's out of five sets. the year. Even one, two. The more you play, the better. All of them, the top three, they're machines physically. Then it's enough. You don't have to play 20 matches to We all know it. Hopefully I can be one of them soon also, be ready for a Grand Slam. that when people know they have to play me out of five sets, they're going to be scared because they think this That's why ATP Cup is a good thing. Starting from last guy is scary. year was a big success. Hopefully it's going to be here for many more years as the start of the year. But, of course, I managed to beat them all in London. Was amazing run, amazing tournament. Every win Q. How confident do you feel about the Australian against them, especially in such tournament, helps you Open for yourself? for the future because you start to closer and closer to their level, you start to know more of what you have to do DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's always tough to say. I think in which moment. from what I know from tennis players, especially of course my friends, nobody is, like, super confident before It's always these tight matches. One of them they win, the start of the tournament. You never know how is one of them you win. It's always important who wins going to be your first match. We still don't know the them in the later stages of the tournament. draw. There are always a lot of good guys of not-seeded players. FastScripts by ASAP Sports

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

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