Daniil Medvedev blew a two-sets-to-love lead in a Major final for the second time in his career on Sunday (January 28), losing the 2024 Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 2-6.
Speaking to the media following the defeat, Medvedev was asked by a reporter whether his defeat to Rafael Nadal from two sets up two years ago in Melbourne affected him during his encounter against Sinner.
In response, the Russian refuted the possibility of the 2022 Australian Open final bearing on his mind, insisting that he played at a respectable level throughout.
“Yeah, I didn’t think much about Rafa match, because I really tried to leave it behind, so I don’t think it had any issues,” Daniil Medvedev said during his press conference. “And today, again, I didn’t feel like suddenly when I was two sets to love up I stopped playing and let’s say went behind the baseline and started doing like lobs. I didn’t really do bad mistakes.”
The 27-year-old also praised Jannik Sinner for not only switching up his tactics, but for also having enough in his tank to come out on top of the five-set match.
“I think what happened is he started to play better, a little bit different tactically, because I propose him something different in the beginning of the match, which was very aggressive,” the Russian added. “I got a little tired physically… Jannik didn’t really, and there were some points in the end where he didn’t seem as tired as my opponents before.”
He started playing better. I got a little bit tired. Serve went a little bit worse. So the momentum changed and I really tried in my mind to change it back again, because that’s what tennis is about.”
“Now I’m dreaming more than ever” – Daniil Medvedev on ‘kid stopped dreaming’ remark from Australian Open 2022 defeat to Rafael Nadal
Daniil Medvedev had blown a two-sets-to-love lead in the 2022 Australian Open final, losing to Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6(5), 4-6, 4-6, 5-7. The Russian was so distraught at the result that he claimed that ‘the little kid inside him had stopped dreaming’ during his post-match press conference.
“I’m going to say it like this. If there is a tournament on hard courts in Moscow, before Roland Garros or Wimbledon, I’m going to go there even if I miss the Wimbledon or Roland Garros or whatever. The kid stopped dreaming,” Daniil Medvedev said in 2022. “The kid is going to play for himself. That’s it. That’s my story.”
A journalist brought back the above remark during Daniil Medvedev’s press conference in Melbourne on Sunday, imploring him to list the difference in his feelings now and back then. The World No. 3 was quick to point out that he had a much more positive outlook on his career at the moment, claiming that he was “dreaming more than ever.”
