"US Open title gave me a lot of confidence, in my life and my tennis life as well" - Daniil Medvedev ahead of Australian Open 2022
Daniil Medvedev gave his thoughts on a wide range of topics during his pre-tournament presser at the Australian Open on Saturday. Medvedev touched upon the change in his mindset after clinching his maiden Major title last year, while also talking about how he almost gave up on a tennis career during his youth.
Medvedev was first asked whether he feels any different at this year's Australian Open, now that he is one of the few players to have tasted glory at a Major. In response, the World No. 2 claimed that winning the US Open has helped him be less anxious ahead of big matches and tournaments.
"I would say that it gave me more confidence to any tournament that I played afterward," Medvedev said. "Sometimes before the tournaments I could be a little bit - sorry, I forgot the word - a little bit concerned if I was not playing well, let's say, two days before the tournament. I would lose a practice set, I would be concerned, a little bit nervous, sometimes angry."
"In general this gave me, US Open title, a lot of confidence I want to say in my life and my tennis life as well," he added. "I'm feeling much more confident than last year in terms of knowing my game, what I'm capable of. But I don't think it means anything for the title itself."
During the interview, Daniil Medvedev also shed some light on how he used to approach tennis before turning pro. The Russian claimed that he used to take the sport less seriously as a junior, which made it difficult for him to "reach his top potential".
Medvedev also revealed that he had "made a deal with himself" to give up on a career as a pro if his results didn't show any signs of improvement.
"It was always different," the 25-year-old said. "There were some years in my juniors career where I was still not sure if I'm going to become professional or not, so I was doing more school stuff, university stuff, maybe practicing less. Then I started thinking more about tennis. But then, yeah, I was young, so I could do other stuff that would disturb to reach my top potential."
"I kind of made a deal with myself that if it will not work out, maybe I won't do it anymore," he added. "But it did work out straight away and after this, I only continued doing it."
Daniil Medvedev could become the first non-Big 3 player since Andre Agassi to win back-to-back Major titles
Novak Djokovic's court hearing didn't go as he would have liked on Sunday. With the judges confirming the immigration minister's decision to cancel his visa, Djokovic was forced to exit the country later in the day, which means the men's draw at the Australian Open has been thrown wide open.
Daniil Medvedev is now the favorite to win the title, with his biggest challengers being Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal. If Medvedev manages to go all the way in Melbourne, he would become the first player outside the Big 3 to win two consecutive Grand Slams since Andre Agassi in 1999-2000.
The Russian will open his campaign against Henri Laaksonen, before possibly taking on Nick Kyrgios in the second round. Kyrgios has often played his best tennis at his home Slam, and could cause some problems for Medvedev if the Russian is not at his sharpest.