Beaten in the first round of Roland-Garros where he had the unexpected status of spoilsport thanks to his title in Rome, Daniil Medvedev affirmed that he was on the right track to play well on this surface which he does not like: “I I found my mouth full of dirt,” he complained on Tuesday. The Russian, world number 2, was beaten by the Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild (172nd and from qualifying) 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (6/8), 2-6, 6-3, 6 -4 in 4h15. But he has “the feeling of having played well”.
Journalist : How do you analyze your match?
Daniel Medvedev : “I’m not going to see him again on TV, but I have the feeling that I played well. I really don’t think I played badly, but he was the one who played very well. If he continues to play at this level he will be in the World Top 30 at the end of the year. Congratulations to him for playing so well today and I hope he will continue because if he does not I will ask myself ‘why against me?’ He only went down in one set and I took advantage of that. I think he’s a great player, he won the US Open juniors by the way. His life will change if he keeps playing like that in every game: he’ll earn more money, more sponsors, he’ll win big titles. But he has to manage to play like that, not just today at the Philippe-Chatrier, but many times in many tournaments all over the world and throughout the year.”
Journalist : Do you want it?
Daniel Medvedev : “No. I fought well, physically I didn’t feel so bad, mentally I was ready for the fight. In the last game, I come back from 30/0 to 30/30 and the guy puts winning shots… It’s like that. So I’m very disappointed, for a week I’m going to think about it, but for the moment I don’t see what I did wrong and I don’t really see what I could have done better. And that’s good, because it’s in these cases that we come back the fastest in the following tournaments.”
Journalist : Your season on clay is now over, how do you judge it and what do you think of this surface now?
Daniel Medvedev : “Every time it ends, I’m happy. So I’m happy. Today, the court was dry, it was windy, I found myself with my mouth full of dirt from the third game of the match … I don’t like it. I wonder if there are people who like to eat dirt, to have dirt in their bag, their shoes, in their socks that have to be thrown in the trash at the end of the season on earth. Me, not. I’m happy that it’s over for this year, even if I would have liked to stay longer in Paris… although it’s on earth. But I’m sure to 100% to be on the right track to play on this surface. Today’s match is further proof of that (after the title in Rome, editor’s note).
Journalist : Are you eager to get back on the grass and do you fear the reception of the public at Wimbledon where the Russians and Belarusians were banned from playing last year due to the war in Ukraine?
Daniel Medvedev “There’s nothing you can do about it. If people decide to be tough, that’s how it will be. And if they’re nice, it’ll be great. It’s not easy for me to play on grass. I can’t say that I love it, but it’s still better than clay!”