Daniil Medvedev claims he "never hides" his personality in press conferences, says he likes talking to the media
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev is considered to be one of the most forthright tennis players when it comes to interacting with the media. Medevdev's quotes in the press room are often as entertaining as his unorthodox game on the court, making him a favorite among journalists and tennis fans on social media.
After his semi-final win over John Isner at the National Bank Open in Toronto on Saturday, the Russian revealed that he sees no reason to hide his personality while talking to the press.
"I think in press conferences, I never hide anything. If I feel like I should not say something or it's not appropriate to say it, (I'm) just gonna go away from the question quite easily. If not, I don't see any reason to hide my personality, especially in press conferences," Medvedev said.
"I like talking to you guys. When some players said they are tired of talking to press or whatever, I feel like it's part of the job. I don't know if I would have done it if it would not be part of the job, but I like it and I feel comfortable with it," the 25-year-old added.
Medvedev admitted that on court, he adopts a different approach. Although he does not often hide his emotions, the Russian revealed that he does try to keep them in check at times during matches so as to remain focused.
"On court it's different, because my goal is to win a match. So sometimes I can actually control or hide my emotions in order to win the match. Not in order to be loved or whatever. Never did anything for this," Medvedev stated.
"The more matches I win in Toronto and in Cincinnati, the better I'm going to feel for US Open" - Medvedev
After a rather disappointing clay and grass swing, Daniil Medvedev appears to be back to his best on the hardcourts in North America. On Sunday, he will take on Reilly Opelka in the Toronto final as he hopes to lift his third title of the season.
He will also be one of the favorites to win the Cincinnati Masters next week, as well as the US Open, which begins on August 30.
Medvedev said that while he is looking ahead to the final Grand Slam of the season, he is trying to remain focused on the task at hand. According to the Russian, winning matches is the best way to prepare for the US Open.
"Of course I think about US Open in a way, but I'm still, I feel like I'm still young, still feeling good physically, don't have any chronic [sic] problems or issues with my body. So I know that I play good when I'm in shape and I'm winning matches," Medevdev continued.
"So I think the best preparation for me coming to US Open is try to win as many matches as possible but of course not playing the week before the Open itself. That's the only thing I'm thinking about right now. So the first thing is to try to win the match tomorrow. Again, the more matches I win here and in Cincy, the better I'm going to feel for the US Open," Medvedev stated.
Despite playing a more rigorous schedule than several other top players, Medvedev insisted he was feeling fresh. The Russian did, however, point out that he will have to make some tough choices for the post-US Open swing, which includes the rescheduled Indian Wells Masters.
"Let's say like this: until my body explodes, it means we are making good decisions, we're trying to work really hard physically and really precisely in order to try to have my body ready for this number of tournaments," Medvedev said.
"The only tough thing already I'm thinking is that I have my plan after US Open for few tournaments, and especially with Indian Wells, and it's a pity that Moscow and St. Petersburg are coming just before Paris Bercy, because I'm not going to be able to play 55 tournaments in a row, and it's going to be a tough decision for me at the end of year what I'm going to choose," Medvedev added.