"Maybe it's different for Novak" - Daniil Medvedev on how his in-the-moment confidence approach contrasts with Novak Djokovic's perpetual self-belief

Daniil Medvedev opened up about how his approach to confidence differs from that of Novak Djokovic, who he believes is perpetually self-assured, especially at the Australian Open.

Medvedev is enjoying an exceptional run of form. Back-to-back titles in Rotterdam and Doha have catapulted him back into the ATP top 10. He is currently competing in the Dubai Tennis Championships alongside Djokovic. The Russian faced Matteo Arnaldi in the first round of the tournament, who he defeated in straight sets.

During the post-match press conference, Medvedev was asked about how his recent success has impacted his confidence coming into the tournament in Dubai. The former World No. 1 emphasized the significance of confidence in tennis, stating that each player has their own approach to it.

"It feels great because confidence is very important in tennis. We all know it. I think every tennis player has different approaches to confidence," he said.

Giving an example of his third-round exit at the recent Australian Open, Medvedev explained that having confidence in the present moment is more important to him than relying on past successes. He added that his approach differed from Djokovic's, who always appeared to be confident in Australia regardless of his previous results.

"For example, I have no idea, for me it's more important to have the confidence kind of like in the moment than, for example, last year remembering I played good there," he said.

"Maybe it's different for Novak because when he comes to Australia, it feels like no matter what happened before, he's always in confidence there. So for me it's important in the moment," he added.

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Daniil Medvedev will face Alexander Bublik in Dubai Tennis Championships second round

Daniil Medvedev at the Qatar Open

Following a comfortable victory against Matteo Arnaldi in the opening round of the Dubai Tennis Championships, Daniil Medvedev expressed his satisfaction with his performance. Though he felt like he wasn't playing his best tennis, he was pleased that he managed to win the match in straight sets, which boosted his confidence.

"Right now I feel great. Even today I felt like I was far from my best tennis, but I managed to close it out kind of in two sets. That always helps," the World No. 7 said.

He also acknowledged his winning streak and hoped to continue it, while aiming to perform well in the upcoming matches in Dubai.

"Yeah, I'm just really happy to be on a streak right now. Streaks always finish. I will try to extend mine as long as I can. Feeling great. Hopefully can do some good things here in Dubai," he added.

Daniil Medvedev will take on Alexander Bublik in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The Russian leads the head-to-head 4-0 against Bublik.