
The adventure of Daniil Medvedev in the individual draw of the Masters 1000 in Montreal ended sooner than expected. Facing Alejandro Davidovich in the opening match can either go very well or very badly, and in this case, it went wrong for the Russian. A peculiar encounter where roles were shared at times, with the Spaniard orchestrating better in crucial moments. It marks the first event of the season where we see the Muscovite departing with defeats, a disappointment he candidly analyzed in the press conference minutes later.
“I started off not playing too well, something that we knew could happen after coming from clay court matches, it has happened to several players,” noted Daniil referring to the clear toll of competing at the recent Olympics on a different surface. “It's tough because I had trained well these days, but when I began playing, I felt that I wasn’t performing well. I couldn’t make any passing shots, lost some points I shouldn't have lost. From that moment on, everything became very tough, but still, I gave it my all. I tried to give my best, but I think he played very well in both the first and third sets, that's why he won the match. It's a shame because this experience is not ideal for building confidence for the future, but no matter, I’ll try to do better in Cincinnati,” said the World No. 5.
A comical moment from the match was Medvedev's attempt to go to the bathroom without knowing if he could or couldn't, an anecdote that also had its repercussions in the press room later on.
“I had to step out because I had waited too long inactive, so I thought I could do it during the set, although the rule is not clear to me at all. Sometimes they let me go during the set, although usually, you have to do it within an hour and a half after the change. There are times when I do it too quickly, and the chair umpire tells me, ‘Take your time.’ Today everything was the opposite, today they told me, ‘No, you can't go.’ Therefore, at the end of the day, I think I don’t understand the rule, but I do believe that the tournament should place the bathrooms next to the Centre Court. It would make everything easier, and I don’t think it would be too costly,” he commented with his usual sense of humor.
A FINAL MISSION BEFORE CINCINNATI
After the forgettable loss to Davidovich, the Russian's plans might involve flying off to Cincinnati as soon as possible to start preparing for the second Masters 1000 in this North American hard-court swing, the last significant test before heading to New York for the US Open. However, Medvedev realized that the plane will have to wait a bit longer as he is still competing in the doubles draw, where teaming up with Roman Safiullin has landed them in the quarterfinals. Is it a problem or an opportunity to further improve?
“It might help a bit with confidence, but the sooner I go to Cincinnati, the better,” Daniil bluntly stated. “The courts will be different there, the balls will be different, but I entered the doubles with my friend here, and we are playing well. I will be here for however long it takes, playing doubles, no issues with that. I am trying to enhance my performance and volley when playing doubles; we've had two beautiful victories, and I'm enjoying playing with my friend. However, I heard that nothing would be played tomorrow due to rain, so if it rains, I don't want to be here, I prefer to be at the hotel,” he concluded.
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Medvedev: “Sabíamos que esto podía suceder, no he sido el único”