Daniil Medvedev: ‘Inside of me there is a winner that maybe sometimes is a bit childish’
He concedes that he still has a “childish” streak in him, but Daniil Medvedev says he is working hard to become a calmer player on court.
Medvedev has had a few meltdowns during his short career with one famously coming at the 2019 US Open when he smashed his racket and flipped the middle finger at the crowd while at this year’s ATP Cup he hit the umpire’s chair with his racket.
WATCH: Daniil Medvedev shows anger at ball boy, throws racket, and flips finger to US Open crowd
However, his on-court attitude has improved in recent months and the recently crowned ATP Finals champion knows it will be good for his game if he cuts out the drama.
“Inside of me, there is a winner that maybe sometimes is a bit childish, but wants to win every match he plays,” he told ATPTour.com.
“That is why when I am not playing good, I can be angry [with] myself for this, because that is why I lose matches. That is also part of my success, why I am where I am, but I am working hard because I know that the more calm you are, the most focussed you are on the goal, the better it is for [my] tennis.”
Medvedev has been one of the most consistent players on the ATP Tour the past two years, winning four titles last year and finishing runner-up at the US Open, while this year he won the Paris Masters and ATP Finals.
His coach Gilles Cervara has been part of the journey and the Russian feels they have grown together.
“We are trying to improve all the time,” Medvedev said. “Like any relationship between coach and player, we can have our tough moments [and] our good moments. Sometimes I will not be playing good, I will not be happy with myself, he will not be happy with me or himself sometimes.
“Maybe he will think he is doing something wrong, I will think that I am doing something wrong. It is completely normal. It is a part of our sport. That is why people love sport. That is why we compete. We are trying to work every day to make me a better tennis player. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
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