Medvedev’s unmissable reflection on tennis: “It drives you crazy”

Daniil Medvedev continues on his path of “rediscovery.” It’s not easy for the Russian, who is in a period of trial and error after a year of many ups and downs, but today he took a step in the right direction after overcoming the always dangerous Beijing in his debut against the ever-dangerous Cameron Norrie, who defeated him at Roland Garros. Thus, Daniil puts a small stone in what he hopes will be a great end of the year.

The objective is clear: to show the world that he is capable of achieving great success, that the best version of Daniil Medvedev is not yet finished. He has been far from achieving it this season, but every statement from the Muscovite turns in that direction, that of being convinced that the internal fire is still there. On this occasion, and when going through a press conference after beginning his journey in the ATP Beijing 2025, Medvedev shared invaluable reflections and reiterated his confidence in himself to turn around this small crisis moment.

– Great victory over Norrie, but still far from the level he aspires to

“I like the way I played today. Cameron is a great tennis player, he has been top-10. I’m happy with my level. I played a good match, served quite well: there were moments where I could have been better, but I’m satisfied with the overall level. However, I still feel very far from having “recovered” my tennis. It’s a process that needs to be taken step by step. Sometimes you can take a big leap, you never know, but for now, I’m taking it day by day. Today, for example, I think I played better than in my two matches in Hangzhou. That’s what makes me happy, so I’m eager to do a little better in the next match.”

– About his good previous results in this tournament, which bring back good memories, and the role played by his two new coaches, Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke

“First of all, coming back here, I don’t think about previous years or results from past years. I was in a different position. Sometimes I would come here after making the final at the US Open, last year I lost in the quarters, but against Jannik. I was losing in a way to Jannik or Carlos almost always. Now, my situation is different. I need to recover my game very gradually; that’s when I’ll finally be able to face someone like Carlos or Jannik (smiles).

As for Thomas and Rohan, we have just started. It’s difficult to define everything precisely. We are in a trial period until the end of the season. Rohan cannot travel as much as Thomas, who is more focused on daily matters, while Rohan gives me feedback every now and then. So far, everything is great; it’s been very fun working with them.”

– What is the level of clarity in his tennis that he has currently reached? Is he still looking for a clear game plan to recover his best version?

“There is definitely no clarity yet, but I’m trying to find it. I’m not far from finding it, but I will need time. And dedication, something that perhaps I haven’t had enough of. I’ve always been someone with a lot of dedication, but maybe I could have used it differently this year. I’ve always had it; maybe now not in the right way. Perhaps I needed to make a turn and find that dedication, that’s what I want to do step by step.

What gives me a lot of confidence that I can achieve it is that I had a week of training in Monaco, with no nearby tournaments and no stress, where I was able to show an exceptional level of tennis. Exceptional. I know I have it in me. I need to find a way to bring it out in tournaments, on the court.”

– On whether this lack of dedication could be due to the birth of his second daughter… and if he has felt farther than ever this year from the Daniil Medvedev we all know

“The most beautiful and yet the toughest part of tennis, and sorry, because maybe I’m going too far, is that sometimes you can behave a bit crazy on the court. Many amateur players tell me this when I’m in France or Monaco. They say, ‘Look, I’m like you. I’m a calm type in my life, when I travel I’m calm, when I argue with my wife I’m calm… but I play tennis and I go crazy, I lose control.’

Tennis can drive you crazy. It drives me crazy. If you ask me why I’ve had a bad year, I don’t have a clear answer. It could be my second daughter. It could be my relationship with Gilles (Cervara). It could be that I’m a bit older and have started to overthink more than when I was younger. It could be bad luck, or perhaps I didn’t feel physically well in certain tournaments. You never know.

I don’t have a clear answer to your question about expanding my family. I love my two daughters, I love my wife. It’s not a problem for me. If I play tennis worse because I had my second daughter, I’m happy and I don’t mind. Of course, it concerns me and has concerned me: I’m looking for a way to show everyone that I’m capable of achieving great things again.”

– Next challenge, Alejandro Davidovich

“Honestly, I feel that I usually enjoy playing against him. My game suits his tennis well. He is in better shape than me, he has had more recent wins. He had bad luck in Washington because he played great. We played a quite serious exhibition match (in Huelva, at the Copa del Rey) and I won. I’ll need to play at my best level; he’s a very strong player. I know that if I want to beat him, I have to be at my best.”

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La imperdible reflexión de Medvedev sobre el tenis: “Te vuelve loco”