D. MEDVEDEV/A. Zverev
5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-3
THE MODERATOR: Congrats, Daniil. Back into the Australian Open final. How did you think you turned this around?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I could say a lot. I could say not much. I tried to fight. I went more aggressive, because I was tired, so I understood I'm not going to be able to run for three hours.
Actually by doing this, I managed to regain a little bit physically and I felt like I was better than him physically afterwards.
But in general, yeah, just by fighting and trying my best. Served better, and I managed to make it. So, yeah, not much more to add.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. Crucial point in the tiebreaker, and your forehand return. Can you talk us through that?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, lucky, lucky. I think basically every time I went for a chip return was because I thought he was going to serve to the backhand. When it comes to 200, don't have time to change the grip, at least me. So that's every time I chipped, and for sure when I chip I try to go longer.
The side was against the wind. I think I was tight, so I shanked it. I, for sure, did I want to go at least short or no? I don't even remember. Just tried to put it in, so I shanked it a little bit. It was not like a frame completely but I didn't play it with the center. But the moment I saw it going, I was like there are two ways: Either it touches like the tape and stays on my side or it just kind of rolls over onto his side. I was, Please being the second one, I want to win. And it was the second one.
Yeah, tough luck for him, for sure, in this point. Managed to make an ace after, but that's what tennis is about. Hurkacz to break me touched the net. Well, I won the set, but it happens. It happens. I got lucky.
Q. The five-set matches you have played, the marathon matches you played, has it helped your mentality, helped you grind out those types of matches?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Mentally 100%, I'm stronger than I was before this tournament because now I know that I'm capable of some things maybe I thought I'm not. Because before I didn't do anything like this to get to the final.
So mentally I'm stronger than before, and I'm happy about it. Probably honestly, it's better to be in the final winning three-set, four-set matches. That's the better way physically. But it is what it is, and I'm proud and looking forward to the final to give my 100% again.
Q. Looking ahead to the final against Jannik, your head-to-head is pretty interesting. You won the first six games, then the last three Jannik got the better of you. Can you just explain the differences in his game the past three games to beat you, jump over that hurdle, and what are you going to have to do differently to approach that game?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, in my opinion, there is nothing too much of a tactical change when he won the last three. He did a little more serve-and-volley, maybe a little more aggressive, but at the same time that's what he's doing against everyone. He's just playing better.
The three matches, all of them were tough. Two tiebreaks and two three-setters. I had my chances.
It was all of them were in the end of the season where I felt like I was not at my 100%, even if I was playing pretty good, but I was maybe at 97, 96. And against him, you need to be at 100.
He's playing better than before. I think it started probably when he won Canada or something like this, but especially end of the season he started playing whole different level. So if I want to beat him, I have to raise my level on a whole different level, and I will try to do it.
Q. What brings out the Russian asterisks in you? You have been amazing this tournament. Pretty sure you're familiar with the character. Is there any special motive which has been the driving force behind your AO '24 campaign or is it just another way to surprise yourself?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: It's tough to say, because as I said it, and I said it before the tournament, I want a change, I want to become, I don't want to say better person, because I don't like these like labels, "better person." Who knows what is a better person.
I just want to be better with myself. To not have after the matches these moments where I'm like, I did this with the crowd, was it right, was it wrong, why did I do it? Did it help me on the court? Did it not help me? Just don't want to have it anymore. I want to play tennis, I want to be proud of myself, I want to fight and stuff like this.
So could this help me win all of these matches? Possibly yes. But I also don't want to say yes one month ago I decided this and then suddenly I'm winning all these matches. Life is not that easy.
But I'm doing what I told myself to do one month ago. I'm happy about it. I'm looking forward to what's next.
Q. When you won the match and you were walking towards the net, you turned to your coach and your team there, and you seemed to say, shout the word, "karma." What was that in relation to?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: No, no, no, it was not it. I tried to not go on Twitter but I went on Twitter and I saw it all over the place. I was like, Oh, my God.
As I said just right now, I don't want to go, let's say -- because it's a little bit like when you try, you know, touch someone and then he touches you back and then you touch someone. I want to, you know, I had my moments, probably the most with Tsitsipas, and even with him we seem to be, you know, we're not friends but we seem to respect each other more than before.
So same. It was something related to my team. Something about mentality. So, yeah, nothing to do with this. I would not be happy to do it this way.
Q. Jannik has been playing very well, but he's never played in a Grand Slam final. You've got the euphoric experience and you've also had other finals that you've played in. What sort of advantage do you think that gives you ahead of Sunday?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I hope it gives, because I hope to have some advantage. Physical advantage I probably don't have. Tennis advantage, let's see. But three last times he got me.
So I hope that this experience can help me. First final, I think it's always different for everyone. I'm sure some guys went out on the first final and felt so good they just managed, I don't know, to win it. There are probably these stories.
Some would go and it would be tough mentally and they would lose. I have no idea how Jannik is going to be, but me, myself, I have this experience. I will try my best. I will fight for my life, and let's see who wins.
Q. Can you remember before your first final what feelings and emotions you had?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Oh, yeah, actually my first final was crazy, because at the time I didn't know my tennis as well as I know it now, so it was just the beginning of when I started to be a top player. I just went top 10 like for the first time probably month after Wimbledon before the US Open, playing against Rafa. So I kind of, in a way, I didn't know how to feel. And I lost against Rafa in Canada final, like, I think it was 6-3, 6-0 or 6-1, it was easy.
I didn't know what to feel, how do I play, how do I fight? The first two sets, they were pretty tight because there was only one break, but in the game I felt like I could do nothing. I felt so bad. Then crazy comeback, unfortunately couldn't win it, but crazy story. That's when I even believed in myself even more that I can do it.
Yeah, let's see again, let's see how Jannik is going to be. Cannot predict it, but me, I have this experience. I know I just have to fight and try.
Q. This New Year's resolution, whatever it is, to be a better person, whatever, is there something that led to that? When did you decide that?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: I would say many small, small, really small events, and it was during my holiday, so I think it was like first holiday, let's say, preseason holiday I had in maybe four years or five years. I think the previous one was 2020, so yeah, anyway, long time.
For whatever reason, my mind was not stopping to think there, because the end of the season, I was feeling mentally very tired, very tired. So every match I play, something would disturb me, I would, you know, have, with the crowd, with someone else. I would not be 100% okay with myself.
So during this holiday, I was trying some new things, some new breathing exercises, whatever. I was, like, wow, that feels good. I know a little bit more about my body now. I know a little bit more about my mind. Maybe I know a little bit more why things happen. Where before, I would just, okay, this happened. Let's look in the future. Where now I'm trying to, okay, why this happen, because I'm like this. So what can I do next, tomorrow, today.
I just decided I want to try. The toughest part is sometimes in one week you kind of forget about it. You just move it away. It happened to me one time I had an injury and during one week I thought, okay, now I'm going to change my mind and in one month it was gone.
So I don't know how long it's going to work, but so far I'm 100% into it, and when I'm 100% into something, I tend to do it till the end, so yeah.
Q. You said after the win that if you happen to win Sunday you'd be the happiest man on the planet. You talked about how it's been a really tough court for you. Can you talk about why it's been so tough for you?
DANIIL MEDVEDEV: Yeah, I think just in general, something like the court, the balls, I never felt, let's say, 100% me and the court, where in US Open I have some matches where I feel like I cannot miss anymore and I'm just in the zone, like final against Novak, when I won like semifinal against Carlos and some other matches.
Here I always kind of, I can play well, I play well on hard courts, I won a lot of tournaments. I try to use my experience, try to use my shots. But even as today, I'm never in the flow to just win, I don't know, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. That's why every match is a bit tough.
But look, it's my third Australian Open final and it's already pretty great, so I'm looking forward to it (smiling).
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