"The mouth full of earth": Daniil Medvedev frustrated after his defeat in the 1st round of Roland-Garros

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: JULIAN FINNEY / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / Getty Images via AFP 21:07 p.m., May 30, 2023

Beaten in the first round of Roland-Garros where he had the unexpected status of troublemaker thanks to his title in Rome, Daniil Medvedev said he was on the right track to play well on this surface that does not please him: "I found myself with my mouth full of earth," he complained Tuesday. The Russian, world number 2, was beaten by Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild (172nd and from qualifying) 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (6/8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 4h15. But he has "the feeling of having played well".

Interviewer: How do you analyze your match?

Daniil Medvedev: "I'm not going to see him on TV again, but I feel like I played well. I really don't think I played badly, but he played very well. If he continues to play at this level, he will be in the Top 30 in the world at the end of the year. Kudos to him for playing so well today and I hope he will continue because if he doesn't I will ask myself 'why against me?' He only dropped in one set and I took advantage of it. I think he's a great player, he won the US Open juniors. His life will change if he continues to play like this in every game: he will earn more money, more sponsors, he will win big titles. But he has to be able to play like that, not just today on the Philippe-Chatrier, but many times in many tournaments around the world and throughout the year."

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Interviewer: Are you mad at it?

Daniil Medvedev: "No. I fought well, physically I didn't feel so bad, mentally I was ready for battle. In the last game, I come back from 30/0 to 30/30 and the guy puts in winning shots... That's the way it is. So I'm very disappointed, for a week I'll think about it, but at the moment I don't see what I did wrong and I don't really see what I could have done better. And that's good, because that's when we come back the fastest in the following tournaments."

Interviewer: Your season on clay is now over, how do you judge it and what do you think now of this surface?

Daniil Medvedev: "Every time it ends, I'm happy. So I'm happy. Today the court was dry, it was windy, I found myself with my mouth full of dirt from the third game of the match... I don't like it. I wonder if there are people who like to eat dirt, to have dirt in their bags, their shoes, in their socks that have to be thrown in the garbage at the end of the season on earth. I don't. I'm happy that it's over for this year, even if I would have liked to stay longer in Paris... Although it is on Earth. But I'm 100% sure I'm on track to play on this surface. Today's match is further proof of that (after the title in Rome)."

Interviewer: Are you looking forward to getting back on the grass and are you afraid of the reception of the public at Wimbledon where Russians and Belarusians were banned from playing last year because of the war in Ukraine?

Daniil Medvedev: "There's nothing we can do about it. If people decide to be tough, it will be so. And if they're nice, that'll be great. It's not easy for me to play on grass. I can't say I love it, but it's still better than clay!"