"Rod Laver Arena is probably Novak Djokovic's favorite place in world, but his absence does not change my approach" - Daniil Medvedev after 1R win at Australian Open
Daniil Medvedev had nothing but admiration for Novak Djokovic's record at the Australian Open, but the World No. 2 insisted he would not let the Serb's absence from Melbourne Park this year affect his plans for the tournament.
Medvedev coasted to a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(3) win in his first-round match against Henri Laaksonen at the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday. During his post-match press conference, the Russian was asked how Djokovic's absence could impact the draw and his own preparations.
The World No. 2 began by praising the Serb for the sheer number of matches he has won at Melbourne Park.
Medvedev on Djokovic's absence. "Melbourne and Rod Laver Arena is his favorite place in the world (...) but the fact he isn't here can't change my approach here. Still 7 matches to win a Slam".
Medvedev then stressed that he did not want to be distracted by the World No. 1's absence from the draw.
"The Rod Laver Arena is probably his (Djokovic's) favorite place in the world. The amount of matches, the amount of finals and semifinals he has won here is sensational," Medvedev said. "But [his absence] does not change my approach though, because it's still seven tough matches to win."
Medvedev pointed to his triumph at the 2021 US Open to explain how he had to beat six tough opponents en route to the final, where he downed Djokovic. He asserted that it will be the same at the 2022 Australian Open as well, or any Grand Slam for that matter.
"If we talk about US Open where I managed to beat him in the final, it was the same. You know, I had six tough matches against tough opponents to get in the final. Then I had Novak himself to beat who was going for something special," he said. "No matter how I do [at the Australain Open] or how far I go, if I'm in the final, it's not gonna be easy. You need to show your best to win a Slam."
The 25-year-old also stressed that he looks forward to meeting the 20-time Grand Slam champion once more at the Australian Open. He reminisced about their meeting in 2021 and how tough it was to play against Djokovic, who is a record nine-time champion in Melbourne.
"I would love to have a chance again to play Novak, maybe in the final or something at the Rod Laver [arena]. Even if he beats me, it's a good challenge and I like challenges in my career," Medvedev said. "I remember last year where I thought that was a good challenge, trying to stop him. I was far, far away from doing that."
"It's definitely not going to be easy against Nick Kyrgios since he likes to play big names" - Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev will take on mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios in the second round on Thursday. The Russian said he was relishing the challenge of playing Kyrgios in front of a vocal Melbourne crowd.
"It's definitely not going to be easy against the crowd. Nick Kyrgios is going to try to pump himself up since he likes to play big names," the Russian said. "But I will do my preparation and play good. If I'm going to be playing good, it's not going to be easy for him and we're probably going to have a good match."
Daniil #Medvedev about Nick #Kyrgios
#AusOpen https://t.co/wIbQQDqWdN
The World No. 2 then went on to praise Kyrgios' showmanship, pointing out that even people who hated the Australian's personality were always entertained when they watched him play.
"Kyrgios is going to the extreme almost all the time he's on court. That's why people love to watch him," the World No. 2 said. "Even if they hate him, they love to watch him, and that's his strength."
Kyrgios, who reached the second round with a near-flawless 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory against Liam Broady, leads the head-to-head against the Russian 2-0.