"I'm not going to cry in the room, but I'm a little bit disappointed" - Daniil Medvedev on losing World No. 1 ranking after US Open loss
Daniil Medvedev said after his US Open fourth-round loss to Nick Kyrgios on Sunday that he's disappointed about losing his World No. 1 ranking but won't "cry" about it.
Medvedev, the defending champion, needed to at least reach the final this fortnight to stand a chance of remaining No. 1. Entering the US Open, Medvedev was one of five players who could have left New York as the world's top-ranked player. However, his defeat means only Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz are in contention for the World No. 1 ranking.
In a blockbuster fourth-round clash on Arthur Ashe, Kyrgios saved three set points to draw first blood before Medvedev restored parity in the second. However, the Australian would drop just five more games in the remainder of the match to oust the defending champion and reach the US Open last eight for the first time.
King Kyrgios and his court. https://t.co/y5GYBiIxlh
In his press conference, Medvedev said that he was "sad" about losing the No. 1 ranking, but that it was not the first thing on his mind after losing to Kyrgios.
"When you lose in Grand Slam, look, I'm trying to look good here, but I'm disappointed," said Medvedev. "(I'm) not going to cry in the room, but I'm a little bit disappointed. For few days I'm going to be just a little bit sad. ... Yeah, it was not the first thing on my mind walking after the match, saying, 'Damn, will not be the world No. 1 any more.'"
Medvedev could now drop to three or four in the rankings depending on how Nadal, Ruud and Alcaraz fare for the remainder of the tournament.
"I actually don't know which place I will be," said the Russian. "Probably 3, 4. I guess Carlos will pass me. I don't know actually."
Meanwhile, Kyrgios will next take on another Russian, Karen Khachanov, on Tuesday for a place in the last four.
"That was a little bit of my plan, to not let him serve and volley" - Daniil Medvedev
Dissecting his tactics on the night, Daniil Medvedev said that his gameplan was to prevent Kyrgios from coming to the net to serve and volley.
Explaining why he stood further behind the baseline as the match wore on, the Russian said that it was to get more time on the return.
"I'm not sure because in the beginning I was really close because that was a little bit my plan, to not let him serve and volley," Medvedev said. "At one moment I felt like maybe I'm just a little bit too close actually, so I went just a little bit further where he still, in my opinion, couldn't really serve and volley, but I could have just a little bit more time to return."
Daniil Medvedev added that his return wasn't poor on the night but he could have served better. He had no qualms admitting that it was also because Kyrgios played a "good" match.
"In general I feel like if I take the match, the return was not so bad," said Medvedev. "I should have served a little bit better, which is not easy sometimes, played a little bit better from baseline, again, not easy, he played good. I feel like on the return, it was not a bad match for me."
bit.ly/3cOj0RC
Nick Kyrgios cements himself as a #USOpen title contender 👉 bit.ly/3cOj0RC https://t.co/gnvaQfJACD
Nick Kyrgios will break into the top 10 if he goes all the way this fortnight, while Daniil Medvedev will drop out of the top two.
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Results