"Grigor Dimitrov played better than anybody did against me in the US Open that I won" - Daniil Medvedev after 4R loss at Indian Wells
Reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev crashed out of the BNP Paribas Open in the fourth round on Wednesday after a three-set loss to Grigor Dimitrov. The Russian appeared to be cruising as he led by a set and two breaks, but Dimitrov staged a spectacular comeback to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Medvedev, who won his first Grand Slam last month in New York, had not lost a set heading into the fourth-round clash with Dimitrov. But fatigue appeared to have caught up with the Russian as his level dropped drastically as the match progressed.
During his post-match press conference, Medvedev said that he struggled physically throughout the tournament.
"To be honest, yeah, I did feel exhausted this tournament, which of course I will never say before matches, so now I can say it," Medvedev said. "I did feel tired, and there were a few things coming up during the tournament in terms of my physical."
Medvedev was, however, quick to praise Dimitrov, who reeled off eight straight games from 4-1 down in the second set to turn the match on its head. According to the Russian, Dimitrov is capable of lifting the trophy if he continues to perform the way he did in the latter stages of the match.
"If he plays like this like he did starting from 4-1, he's going to win the tournament. But let's see the final result," Medvedev said.
The Russian said his level did not drop too drastically, and admitted that he was simply outgunned by the Bulgarian as the match went on. Medvedev went on to claim the level Dimitrov showcased on Wednesday was higher than anyone had produced against the Russian during his run to the the US Open title.
"He definitely flipped the switch. I did become a little more tired maybe, and at the same time, it's not that I started missing everything and really playing bad. I still maintained some level, so many matches it would be enough to finish," Medvedev said.
"About Grigor, I have not much to say. He played second part of the match better than anybody did against me in US Open that I won. So again, playing this level, I don't see him losing to anybody, but let's see the result."
Medvedev did stage a mini fightback in the final set when he recovered from 5-1 to 5-3, but Dimitrov was able to hold his nerve and seal the win. When asked about his late surge, Medvedev said he noticed Dimitrov tiring towards the end of the match and attempted to take advantage of that.
"100% saw it. That's why I didn't, you know, leave the match completely at 5-1 in the third set. I knew that he can get tight also sometimes, so I knew that I needed to continue putting pressure because I still, yeah, want to win the match no matter what happened before," Medvedev said. "Yeah, it's 5-3, he was tired, still able to play some good tennis that was strong."
"I have signed in for Moscow next week" - Daniil Medvedev
During the press conference, Daniil Medvedev also opened up about his plans for the rest of the season. The Russian said he had signed up for the Kremlin Cup, which is due to be held in Moscow from October 18-24.
"I'm signed in Moscow, which is next week. I did sign, because I haven't played there since 2018. It's my hometown, so I wanted to give myself at least a chance to sign, and this time I'm in the draw," he said.
The World No. 2 said he would take a call on his participation at the Kremlin Cup at a later date. The Russian pointed out that he was keen to compete in his home event, but in the same breath, stressed the importance of taking care of his body.
"So I'm going to see next few days after this tough match if I'm going to be able to compete in Moscow, which I really want to do, but, yeah, I need to take care of my body," he added. "But anyway, I'm going to go there, just, yeah, I need to see a little bit before the deadline if I'm going to retire or not."