"I'm not going to go to Novak and say, 'Man, how do you play so good on grass? Teach me some tricks'" - Daniil Medvedev on seeking advice from senior players

Following his compelling victory against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the semifinals of the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, Daniil Medvedev seemed relaxed in the post-match press conference.

Medvedev beat Batista Agut 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals, where he will face Germany's Oscar Otte. In his three matches in the tournament so far, the World No. 1 has not lost a single set.

After the match yesterday, Daniil Medvedev was asked if he ever sought advice from senior players for better preparation. The Russian said 'it's not right' and that he liked to prepare and work on himself alone.

No, I'm not going to talk about this with other tennis players, maybe only with my best friends on tour. But I'm not going to go to Novak and say, 'Man, how do you play so good on grass? Teach me some tricks', and then I'm playing final against him and he's like, 'damn! Why did I do it?' So, I will not even try. It's not right and also, I really like to work on myself by myself," Medvedev said.

Talking about the mental aspect of the game and the work that he has put in to improve, the 26-year-old cited the example of his loss to Tim van Rijthoven in the Libema Open finals in ’s Hertogenbosch last week.

"Coming after the final last week, I was like, 'okay, I got a little bit destroyed, I need to do better next time. Final is a good result but maybe next time, I'm going to get him in the semis, quarters or final. I have to do better, I have to try to win. What can I do better?' So I try to work a few days on some things in practice, maybe to not let the guy dictate the game that much. That's what can help me next time. Maybe I'm going to lose again. I'm going to adapt again and try to be better next time. I think the right mentality is always try to be better next time if you were not good enough the last time," said Medvedev.

Defending champion Daniil Medvedev can compete at the 2022 US Open

Daniil Medvedev won his first Grand Slam at the 2021 US Open.

Earlier this week, the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the US Open organizers publicly announced the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete at the 2022 US Open, amidst the invasion of Ukraine.

Players from the two countries can only participate in the fourth Slam only under a neutral flag. In April, Wimbledon had announced that Russian and Belarusian players will be banned from competing at SW19 this year.

Reacting to the news, World No. 1 and 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev expressed his happiness, calling it 'great news'.

"It's great news. I've always said I will follow the rules and play where I can play. I just want to show my best tennis. I'm happy to be able to defend my title. I have some amazing memories from last year. It was one of the most special tournaments for me," Medvedev said.