Daniil Medvedev, after his defeat in the Australian Open final: “I tried until the last point”

“How do you explain this hot start, up to 6-3, 5-1, and what happened after that?
I didn’t feel like suddenly, when I was down two sets to nothing, I stopped playing. I didn’t go far behind the baseline, making lobs. I didn’t really make any big mistakes either. I think what happened was that he started playing better, with a little different tactics, because I offered him something very aggressive at the start of the match.

And then I got a little physically tired. My service has deteriorated a little. The dynamic has changed. I felt like in my mind I was still going all out, aggressive, but my body was a little less good. In the fifth set, I fought, I ran. I told myself that I had to try, that if tomorrow I were to no longer feel my legs, it wouldn’t matter. I tried to the last point.

You ran so hard during this tournament, with 24 hours of tennis in total…
At least I got a record. I’m in the history books for something. We take ! (laughing) Tomorrow, as I feel right now, I think that after the return flight, I will be dead for a week (smile). Yesterday, in training, I was wondering how I was going to play the final, how I was going to move. We really worked hard, with my physio in particular, he did a huge job so that every time I came on the court, I was ready again. After two sets, my energy level dropped, because I hadn’t had perfect sleep, I had played a long time before. It’s my fault, because I needed to win matches more easily.

Stopping in the final, for the third time in Melbourne, how hard is it to take?
It’s very hard to lose in the final. It can even hurt more than losing in the semi-final or quarter-final. But you have to try to find the positive, and the positive is that reaching the final is still better than making the half or quarter…

And Jannik Sinner, what impression does he leave on you, after his first Grand Slam title?
In terms of average speed, I think he’s top 3, top 5, maybe top 1 on the tour, because he hits so hard. Before, he missed a little, but now he doesn’t miss much. Personally, I hope that the next time I play against him, he misses at times like he did a little in the first two sets. But you know, tennis is a game of ups and downs, otherwise you win 24 Grand Slam titles (smile).

“If Jannik stays healthy and plays like he did in this tournament, he will be number 1 one day.”

Can Sinner become world no. 1 in your opinion?
In this tournament he was the best player in the world and that’s why he won. But you never know what will happen next. For now, he’s number 1 in the rankings for the year, of course. If he stays healthy and plays like he did in this tournament, he’ll be No. 1 one day. In two months, in a year, in two years, at some point. Let’s see how Jannik will handle everything that happens. »