Medvedev Is Confident, But 'Novak Is Trying To Do Something Special'
Daniil Medvedev says that winning at the Mallorca Championships on Saturday has given him a confidence boost prior to the start of his Wimbledon.
Speaking on Sunday, the World No. 2 said, “Winning the title just before a Grand Slam is always a good thing… I’m feeling 100 per cent fit physically.
“I came to Mallorca trying to win some matches [and] managed to win the tournament. [It was] really important for the confidence to find [out] how you should play on grass [and] what you should do. The final was my best match there. [I’m] feeling confident coming here.”
The Russian, who beat American Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-2 in Mallorca for his 11th ATP Tour crown, will challenge Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany in the Wimbledon first round on Tuesday. Medvedev lost to Struff in the Halle first round last week.
“It’s definitely a tough draw,” said Medvedev, who has a 26-7 match record in 2021. “Jan is a tough opponent, especially on grass. He's a danger to top players. He can beat top players [and has] proven it many times. What is positive is that in Halle I was far from my best level and I still had chances to close out the first set.
“If I show good tennis, it's not going to be easy for him. If he shows good tennis and serves [well], it's not going to be easy for me. It can be a good match. Hopefully I can be the winner.”
The 25-year-old recorded his first Grand Slam match win in 2017 at Wimbledon, beating Stan Wawrinka in the first round, and has since reached the 2018 and 2019 third rounds at the All England Club.
Looking back on his first Top 10 win, Medvedev said, “It was super important because that was my biggest win of my career at the time… All these matches in every tournaments, including Wimbledon against Stan, made me tennis player I am right now.”
“I like to feel being on grass. It's actually relaxing to be on the grass, especially when it's good weather, the sun is shining. Of course, it suits my game very well… What is not easy with the grass is you have to adapt a lot to it. That's what I managed to do [in Mallorca]. Hopefully that's what can help me.”
When asked about World No. 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic, the player Medvedev lost to in this year’s Australian Open final, the Russian admitted, “He's trying to make something special this year. As much as we know what goals mean to him, how much he can work to achieve them, it also puts [on] pressure.
“I think Wimbledon, [the] Olympics and US Open can be fun to watch Novak play, because he's going to put everything on himself to try to make it. That's when he's strongest [and] at the same time that's a lot of pressure.”