Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev arrived in Doha as the man to beat at the US$ 1.4 million Qatar ExxonMobil Open. After six days of intense battles, the 2021 US Open champion broke British hearts with his win over Andy Murray in an exciting final watched by a capacity crowd at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex.
AT times he looks unassuming. On other occasions, he seems uninterested. Give him a tennis racket and that’s when Daniil Medvedev morphs into this giant that he has become in the last three-four years. The 27-year-old Russian from Moscow put a stop to Andy Murray’s brilliant run at this year’s Qatar ExxonMobil Open final just when it seemed the Briton would go on to win his third Falcon Trophy. Playing a controlled game from the baseline, the 1.98m (6’6”) Russian won the title clash 6-4, 6-4 and took home a hefty paycheck of US$209,445 and 250 points that got added to his rankings tally for the rest of the season.
After bagging his 17th career title win, Medvedev candidly admitted that he had a tough time battling Murray – winner in Doha in 2008 and 2009 – and the windy conditions that had engulfed the Qatari capital on the day of the final. “To be honest, every time you get a title, you feel great and you feel like this winning feeling is back, you (feel) can get even bigger titles, even bigger wins. But that’s all about confidence and confidence can go really fast, it can go away really fast with one loss. So I feel great right now at the moment. I have a tournament to play next week, so it will be a new week, a new challenge, and then we go to the USA, the other part of the world, jet lag, everything. Right now I’m feeling great, and I want to try to continue feeling this way,” Medvedev said after the final against Murray.
The Russian explained why though the final was a tough battle. “It was a very tough match. I think it was a little bit more windy (on the day of the final). So both of us were struggling to find the rhythm on my second serve. Sometimes the ball is moving in the air. I can say now that the tournament is over – I think these balls are not good for hardcourts. They changed something this year and I don’t like them. I heard a lot of players are struggling with shoulders, elbows and wrists. I myself had wrist problems in Australia, so generally I think I was struggling all week (in Doha) to find the perfect rhythm with these balls, but I’m happy to win.”
Medvedev said the issue about the balls hasn’t been talked about in detail. “I haven’t talked (to any ATP official). I talked a little bit to the supervisor, but the thing is that I wonder what other players think. You’re not going to be in the locker coming to every other player asking about the balls,” he said. “Maybe if people are going to start asking them, maybe finally I’m going to be the only one arguing about the balls, and then that’s just my problem. If there are going to be 15 players that come out and say, Yeah, I feel the same, then it’s a problem of the balls. I’m just going to wait and see what happens when other players get asked this question.”
After beating an opponent who is 35, Medvedev said he couldn’t be considered a newbie on the ATP Tour. “Talking about new generation vs old generation, well, I’m 27, so I don’t think I’m any more new generation. I could be considered in the medium segment (smiles). So yeah, I was just happy to see Andy on the other side of the net because he’s such a legend. Every time I play against him or Novak (Djokovic) and Rafa (Nadal), it’s just an amazing feeling. It’s an amazing atmosphere all the time. I was happy to share this final with him. The way he played there, the way he won his matches, is just unbelievable. I don’t think anyone could have thought about it when it was 5-4, 40-Love (against Jiri Lehecka in the semi-finals).”
The new Qatar champion said he is likely to come back to Doha and defend his title next year. “I think it’s very much possible. You never know, because the thing about this part of the season is it’s either you decide to go to Mexico or you stay in Europe and then you play Doha, Dubai. I liked it in Mexico also. I liked it here. So I tend to change things up all the time just trying different things. I like to discover new conditions, new countries. So I’m definitely gonna be back in Qatar. I don’t promise it’s going to be exactly next year, but this is very possible. Right now I cannot announce it 100%, but I liked it here. I won here. That’s a good memory. So there is a good possibility I’m going to be back.”
Medvedev said he loved his time in Doha. “I felt good in Doha. Unfortunately, because I came after winning the title in Rotterdam, I had no time to visit the city, maybe some restaurants. When you come here before the tournament, like three, four days to prepare, you have time to discover. I had absolutely zero time to discover. I will be honest, I haven’t seen much of the city, but the tournament is great. From what I saw from the window of the car, the city looks nice. I only heard good things about this tournament from other players before. Happy to have my experience here, and only good emotions. Nothing bad to say. I like it very much. Great hotel. You know, transportation is good. What else can I say? Food is good. A lot of courts to practice. Great lounge. I don’t think tournaments need a lot to be good, but the small things that I mentioned are quite important for players. I think some players like hotels more, some players like practice courts more, but everything is good here. Everybody told me all the time that it’s a great organization here, but I didn’t have the chance to come because of the calendar, different reasons. I liked it here.”
When reminded that he has been a finalist twice at the Australian Open and the champion at the US Open, Medvedev refused to say which Grand Slams were his favourite. “Roland Garros and Wimbledon are great tournaments too. When I’m asked about my favorite Grand Slam, I don’t really have an answer. I won the US Open (2021), but I can’t really say that this is my favorite Slam. I like all of them. They are all great to play. I want to achieve big results in all of them. Definitely in terms of my game, I think the US Open suits me the best but every year the balls are changing, surfaces are changing, so I never know when I’m 35 what I’m going to say.”
And his goals for the 2023 season? He said: “To play my best tennis like I’m doing right now. I’m really happy. Two finals. Of course I want to do better than I did last year in the 1000s and the Grand Slams. But it’s not easy. Everyone you face is gonna try to beat you, try to play good. People start to know how to play you. So you have to change all the time, try to adapt also. So my goal is to show my best tennis, which I was, for whatever reason, sometimes not able to do last year, and I know when I show my best tennis I’m dangerous for everyone, and that’s when I can get good results.”
