Daniil Medvedev jokes about how people never believe him when he reveals who he is during PlayStation sessions

Daniil Medvedev opened up about his PlayStation-playing habits, revealing that he doesn't usually resort to trash talking when playing online games.

Speaking at his press conference after his 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 third-round win over Alexander Shevchenko at the 2023 Madrid Open, the World No. 3 expressed his frustration with fellow gamers who go "crazy" when he messes up in games. For the Russian, it is just a computer game, so he does not understand why anyone would become mad about such a trivial matter.

Daniil Medvedev further disclosed that he usually only plays with his friends, jokingly adding that on the rare occasions that he plays with strangers, they don't believe him when he tells them who he really is.

"No, I don't do trash talk. The only thing, if someone, you know, sometimes I play shooting games, so sometimes when you don't kill anyone in the back, some of the guys go crazy. You're like, Relax, man. It's just a computer game. Everything is good. Usually it actually comes to a good point unless the guy is crazy and he just trash-talks you, and, well, I just mute him or whatever," Daniil Medvedev said.

"Also usually I play with my friends. You cannot actually hear the opponents. You can only talk to your friends. Actually, few times even in my life it happened that I'm playing with someone I don't know, so we start talking and he's like, What do you do? So I tell him, Yeah, I play tennis. Then some of them are, like, Yeah, really Then if they ask, I tell them who I am and they never believe me," he added.

The former US Open champion also spoke about Masters 1000 tournaments like Madrid and Monte-Carlo now lasting two weeks, stating that it was good for the sport in general. However, Medvedev felt it was a disadvantage for the top-ranked players as it meant they had to win one more match to reach the quarterfinals than the number they had to win in the past.

"I think it's good, but I probably need more time and more tournaments like this to be sure. But in general, I feel like everyone loves Indian Wells, Miami. It gives more opportunities for more players, because yeah, just more places in the draw," Medvedev said.

"Actually, if you are top 8, top 16, it's a disadvantage for you, because before Madrid, you win one, two matches, you're in the quarters, like Monte-Carlo, a lot of points. But I think it's more fair when the draw is that big we are going to see more ranking changes, more people coming in from quallies later stages. So in general I think it's good, even if disadvantages the top players," he added.

"I don't have the title on clay yet, I really want to make it" - Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev at the Mutua Madrid Open

Daniil Medvedev further touched on his fortunes on clay, revealing that he really wanted to win a title on the surface soon, even if it wasn't his most favorite. While the Russian maintained that he is not best suited to play on clay, he believes that he is steadily improving himself and hopes to grab a trophy on clay soon.

"I don't have the title on clay yet. I really want to make it. But I'm also trying to play only the best tournaments, so it's tougher because all the best tennis players in the world. I know that clay doesn't suit my game perfectly. Even today I felt like I did a great match, but usually on hard courts when I do a match like this, the score could be easier, especially when I'm in shape," Daniil Medvedev said.

"Here I had to struggle. I had to struggle. It was tough. But I want to try to just do my best. Monte-Carlo was great. Here is great already, and I'm looking forward for next matches," he added.

In his quest for the title at the 2023 Madrid Open, Medvedev will next take on fellow Russian Aslan Karatsev in the Round of 16.