“I remember where I have not won yet” – Sport – Kommersant

Daniil Medvedev defeated Andrey Rublev in two games in the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which ended in the UAE in the 500th Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tournament with a prize pool of $2.8 million, winning his third in the last three weeks and eighteenth in career title. In an interview with Kommersant correspondents Vladas Lasitskas and Evgeny Fedyakov The best tennis player of the last month explained why the Dubai tournament was easier for him than the previous competitions in Rotterdam and Doha, told how valuable the victory in the semi-final over the first racket of the world Novak Djokovic was for him, and shared his thoughts on unusual personal statistics.

– After two successful weeks in a row, tennis players often take a break due to accumulated fatigue. How did you feel in Dubai?

“We flew here from Doha very quickly, in less than an hour. The conditions here are similar, only the courts are a little faster. In Doha, by the way, it was much harder, because the flight from Rotterdam took six hours, and the two-hour time difference with Europe had an effect there. In addition – now we can already talk about this – in Doha I became very ill. What exactly is the reason, I still do not know. Maybe he ate something wrong, but on the eve of the first match he could not get out of bed, and then all week he felt better, then worse.

In Rotterdam, at first it was also difficult to get involved in the tournament, but for a different reason – due to a lack of confidence. She was caught only in the quarterfinals against Felix Auger-Aliassime. So the tournament in Dubai was the easiest of the three for me. I felt great, from the very beginning everything worked out well for me. Confidence requires constant replenishment, and I am glad that I managed to maintain this feeling.

– Having beaten Andrei Rublev in the final, you regained the title of the best rated tennis player in Russia. Is this of fundamental importance to you?

– When I first became the first racket of the country, ahead of Karen Khachanov, (this happened October 10, 2018 after Medvedev’s victory at the tournament in Tokyo.— “b”), really experienced something special. Still, it was a dream that you have been striving for since childhood. But now I wouldn’t say that. I’m just glad that in recent weeks I managed to score a large number of points and climb up the rankings. In general, now we can say that the season started well for me.

– Your match with Rublev was the first Russian final at the ATP tournaments since October 12, 2008, when Igor Kunitsyn beat Marat Safin at the Kremlin Cup. Do not try to remember what they did then?

– I was 12, and, most likely, I played a tournament in the age category under 14 somewhere in Europe. By the way, I thought that the previous Russian final was here in Dubai, two years ago, when Aslan Karatsev beat Andrey. But for sure – it was in the semi-finals. Thanks for correcting me.

As for our meeting with Andrey, yesterday I just thought: how great it is that we, having known each other since childhood, meet in the final at such a major tournament! Andrey, Karen, and I have achieved a lot. We won team tournaments – the Davis Cup and the ATP Cup, and I’m glad that we still have the opportunity to show our skills on the world stage.

How high do you bet victory in the Dubai semi-final over Novak Djokovic?

“It was something phenomenal. Still, since last year’s final tournament in Turin, he has not lost 20 matches in a row. When Novak has streaks like this, he always wants to keep them going as long as possible to try and set another record. And on Friday, I knew that he would fight for every ball until the very end, even if something didn’t work out for him.

– Your own unbeaten streak now consists of 14 matches. At the end of 2020 and at the beginning of 2021, you won 20 matches in a row, and in the second half of 2019 you played 6 finals in a row. Can you compare how you feel now with how you felt then?

Everything changes every time and you experience something new. Last season was difficult. It so happened that at the end of January, after the Australian Open, I, having not scored enough points, deservedly flew out of the top ten. Now I’m just happy that I managed to win three titles in a row. On Sunday I fly to Indian Wells and I will try to win there.

– Do you know that you set a kind of ATP record – won 18 titles in 18 different cities?

“Honestly, it’s not on purpose! (Laughs.) Naturally, I do not have such a task – not to win the same tournament twice, and somewhere I will try to repeat it. Although I will not hide it: I already remember where I have not won yet. Expanding your collection of titles would be great.