Is the more unpredictable Medvedev back?: "I have tried to develop something new"

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We knew very little about the adventures of Daniil Medvedev in the last month and a half. The end of the season was a breath of fresh air for the Russian, who ended up more worn out than usual: the time at home seems to have done him fantastic, welcoming him to his second child. With barely time to savor this news, Daniil boarded a plane to the Open de Australia 2025, aiming to improve his performance from 2024 and once again taste the sweetness of victory, especially against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, his great nemeses in 2024. He spoke about this and more in the press conference prior to his debut.

- Sensations before arriving in Australia without any previous preparation tournament

"I feel great, very happy. You're on the circuit, one day your second child is born, and the next day, you're on a 24-hour flight to Australia. But it's fine, I've always said that I like tennis and I like to travel. I feel great before the start of the season. The preparation has been fantastic. I think it has been one of my best pre-seasons. I had plenty of time; we've had five weeks. Last year I did the same, no tournaments. For me, the season starts too early. In Russia, December 31st and January 1st are very important days, it's when Santa Claus comes and gives you gifts, etc.

I'm at an age where I want to be at home. I don't see myself playing anything before the Australian Open ever because I like to spend that time with my growing family. The season starts too soon, but I feel great because that gives me extra time to train. I think you're going to see many very interesting things from me, so I'm looking forward to it."

- On the impact of Murray joining Djokovic's team and his possible role as a coach in the future

"It's hard to measure the impact it will have on Novak. Novak is so strong that if he wins, is it because of Andy or because he's Novak? It's a great duo in many ways: energy, for the press, for the growth of tennis. It's great. Imagine if Messi became Cristiano Ronaldo's coach, it would be strange. As for me being a coach, I have no idea what I'll do after my career. It could be anything, related to tennis or not. I've heard that it's very stressful to be on the bench: in a way, you can't control what your player does; it's a more difficult feeling. I already sense it in team competitions, when you want your partner to win, it's not the same as being on the court."

- On his position as a "disruptor" in this sport: after the victories of Sinner and Alcaraz, with several over him, does he still see himself that way?

"I would say a bit less. Why? Because I wasn't able to, except at the Australian Open, I was less disruptive since Carlos and Jannik beat me many times. I reached the final rounds of many tournaments but wasn't able to beat them. I would like to become disruptive again, I don't even know this word, but let's say a 'disruptor,' as that means I will go far and be able to beat them. Right now, they are the clear favorites, and that's normal. I've tried to develop something; we'll see if it works. We already saw that what I did last year wasn't enough, so I'll try to improve."

- The importance of ranking in his goals: does he set ranking objectives before each year, or is it not important to him?

"Somewhere in between. The ranking is important because it literally shows how you've done in a year. Jannik had an impressive end to the year and is number one, deservedly. The ranking shows that I wasn't at my best level because in some years, I finished higher. At the same time, when I go to a tournament, I don't care if I end up number four, three, or six afterward because if I reach the final, I'll probably end up fourth. I will give my best, and the ranking will reflect that. I don't chase ranking numbers; otherwise, I would play more tournaments to earn more points, more 250 or 500. I just need to do better to have a higher ranking."

- On whether Kyrgios' comments about Sinner and Swiatek have "disrupted" the harmony in the locker room

"It's hard to say for me because I've been here barely a day and a half. Everyone who sees me in the locker room is congratulating me, so I have a lot of harmony (laughs). I haven't seen Nick yet. It would be interesting to see what happens if he crosses paths with Jannik, what the energy is like. But well, there are always players you talk to more, others less, some you smile at, and others you just greet. Let's say that this 'beef' between two or three players won't change the entire locker room; I haven't noticed any change."

- On whether the post-match greetings are becoming increasingly colder: is it something he has ever thought about, how the post-match greeting will be?

"During a match, I don't think I've ever thought about that. I think, as players, we should be a bit more open to those cold greetings, although I personally prefer Novak's style (Djokovic). When I was young, I admired him a lot: Novak on the court can be tricky, also with his team, he gets frustrated when his opponent plays well, but when the match ends, he tells himself the battle is over and always congratulates his opponent, no matter if he won or lost. He always smiles. I like that. At the same time, I understand that many people are frustrated after a loss, so you don't want to smile at the opponent who just beat you. I'm fine with both, but I prefer warmer greetings."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¿Está de vuelta el Medvedev más impredecible?: "He intentado desarrollar algo nuevo"