The Russian admits he's still searching for momentum after a loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in London.
Daniil Medvedev‘s debut at the Nitto ATP Finals did not go as planned, as the Russian was toppled in straight sets by Stefanos Tsitsipas, but the ATP’s win leader and 2019 US Open finalist hopes that he can find his best tennis by Wednesday when he is set to take on World No.1 Rafael Nadal in round robin play at the 02 Arena.
Medvedev, who had only played one match since winning his second Masters 1000 title at Shanghai in October, said he is having difficulty locating the level that saw him win 29 of 32 matches and reach six consecutive finals from the beginning of the US hard court summer through Shanghai.
“I'm struggling a little bit with finding back my level I had in USA and Shanghai and St. Petersburg, which is, I should say, I think normal for any sportsman,” he told reporters after his loss to Tsitsipas on Monday. “That's what is amazing about top 3, big 3 and Murray before, that even when you kind of look at them and you think, ‘okay, they are not playing as good as they can, they still win these matches.’”
Medvedev, who leads that ATP with 59 wins, owns eight Top 10 wins in 2019. He says he can take some positives from his play on Monday. “I have to say I'm positive about the way I played today,” he said. “Of course I hate to lose, so I'm really disappointed to lose, but hopefully I can make it better in the next two matches.”
He’s not worried about getting his top level back, but the World No.4 admits that he can’t just snap his fingers and make it happen.
“I lost the momentum a little bit, but [I will] try my best to get it back,” he said. “I should say I'm quite confident that at one moment I will get it back. The other question is is it going to be this tournament or the next one?”
His rematch of the 2019 US Open final with Nadal appears very tough on paper, but it must also be said that Nadal struggled mightily in his first match on Monday in London. He was blitzed by Alexander Zverev, and while he said he felt fit, he was clearly off his game. The Spaniard hit just three forehand winners against 14 for Zverev in the match.
Big thanks to @tecnifibre, the official stringer for the #NittoATPFinals this week. And also, @DaniilMedwed 👏#FightSmart🔻 pic.twitter.com/3QXeoVKsE5
— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) November 12, 2019
Medvedev has lost both his meetings with Nadal, but he made major improvements in their second meeting. He took Nadal to five sets in the US Open final just a few weeks after winning just three games against the Spaniard in a lopsided loss at Montreal.
"I didn't have good energy enough to get the win today," Medvedev added. "But honestly, the way I was practicing last few weeks, I should say, I really lost a little bit the level I was playing, so I should say it was positive today, and I'm quite happy with the way I played regarding my last performances mostly on practices."
