"There are some matches where you feel like you're untouchable; today was not one of them" - Daniil Medvedev after losing to Andrey Rublev at 2022 ATP Finals
Daniil Medvedev lost his opening round-robin match at the 2022 ATP Finals against compatriot Andrey Rublev on Monday. Medvedev put his heart and soul into the match but eventually succumbed 6-7(7), 6-3, 7-6(7).
Fans enjoyed every second of the spectacle put forth by the Russians, often giving them a standing ovation for some of their rallies. During his post-match press conference, Medvedev was asked if he had the mental bandwidth to enjoy such adulation from the crowd while playing.
In an interesting response, the former US Open champion explained how answering such a question might make him "vulnerable."
"It's a very tricky question because, I don't know, other tennis players, we don't talk too much about tennis," Daniil Medvedev said. "We all want to win. If you leave your secrets, you're going to be more vulnerable."
Having said that, Medvedev admitted that he did not feel invincible against Andrey Rublev.
"But there are some matches where you feel like you're untouchable, and you know that everything you do - let's put it this way - turns into gold," he said. "Today was not one of them."
The Russian further explained that there was not much he could have done better and that the margins were too fine during the match.
"If we talk about back to your first question, what could I have done better, same about like an ace. It's easy to say," Medvedev said. "Some points on the tiebreak were crazy. If I manage to hit one forehand more cross-court than it was, maybe he doesn't touch it, there is no crazy point, I win the point easier."
"Didn't feel much confidence before the match" - Daniil Medvedev after his defeat to Andrey Rublev
During the presser, Daniil Medvedev was asked if he felt doing certain things differently would have altered the result of the match. The Russian stated that there wasn't much he could have done barring making a few minor tactical adjustments to his serve. He also admitted that he did not feel confident ahead of his match against Rublev.
"Not really. Just maybe since the court is so fast, serve better in some moments," Medvedev said. "When I say 'serve better', it's a little bit tricky. I serve pretty well. If you make an ace on the tiebreak, he doesn't touch it, it's better than like 7-All when he returned it in. If I would go wide, it would be an ace. Well, that's part of tennis."
"No, just would love to play better tennis at the moment, but didn't feel much confidence before the match," Medvedev added. "Again, was good mentally, good attitude. Looking forward to next two matches to try to build the confidence."