Medvedev and his great motivation in Montreal: the first title of the year

Daniil Medvedev lands in ATP Montreal 2024 feeling like he's back home. It was in this city in Quebec where he reached his first Masters 1000 final back in 2019, one of the results that fueled his appetite to climb to the top of the ATP rankings. The best part of the year is coming up for the Russian, who aims to make up for his surprising loss to Aliassime in Paris in the most spectacular way possible: by clinching what would be his first title of the year. He discussed this and much more in a press conference and in conversation with the ATP.

- Ball conditions in Montréal: they seem to 'fly'

"These balls are more favorable for players who struggle a bit more to generate power. They are great for me; I'm feeling fantastic with these balls. I was talking about them with my coach, it had been like three or four years without feeling this ball on the circuit. When I was playing on the Challenger circuit, I remember the Wilson US Open balls flying and being fast, and then there were some heavier ones... but last year, in 2023, there were only heavy balls. Extremely heavy balls. I had issues with my elbow, with my shoulder. I love these, honestly. Inevitably, with balls, some players love them, others hate them... but I wish there were many more like these."

- Back to hard courts

"I'm very happy. It's where I feel best. Changing surfaces is not easy for me; I always need some time, but here, even in today's practice sessions, I feel like I'm already moving faster, I don't move as well on grass or clay; I can control the game, I know where to place the next shot... it's a great feeling. I haven't played on hard courts since Miami, so I'm very happy to be back on this surface."

- Montreal, his first Masters 1000 final, in 2019... and the place where he realized he belonged with the best

"From the start, I felt really good. I made my debut against Kyle Edmund, who was playing very well at the time, and I knew it wouldn't be easy, but everything just clicked, and I managed to play at a high level. In the final, I faced Rafa: unfortunately, at that time, it was too much for me, he was very strong. I remember that each match was completely different, but I was playing at a high level, I felt very confident about my game.

Reaching my first Masters 1000 final was a tremendous confidence boost. Before that tournament, I knew I could play well, but I had never achieved a great, great result. Shortly after, I won my first Masters in Cincinnati and reached the US Open final, which was incredible. Canada was the first tournament, along with Washington, where I began to understand what I needed to do to beat the best players in the world."

- This tournament, the first step towards a great end to the season

"I'm going to try to push myself to the maximum until the end of the year, for sure, and I want to achieve a big title and many more points because they are very important. The higher you finish in the rankings, the more it reflects how good your year has been. I'm very happy with my season, but I definitely want more. So far, my season has been good, but now is when my best part of the year comes. It is true that I'm not happy about not having a title, but I'm playing well in the important tournaments, losing to great players."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Medvedev y su gran motivación en Montreal: el primer título del año