“Every muscle just went cramp, cramp, cramp, cramp. I was like a fish on the sofa” – Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev said he did not feel physically at his best during his quarter-final loss to defending champion Hubert Hurkacz at the Miami Open on Thursday; the loss means he will need to wait for another chance to unseat Novak Djokovic from the world No 1 spot.

The 25-year-old appeared to be visbiliy struggling in the afternoon heat in Miami and went down 7-6, 6-3 to Hurkacz in two hours and three minutes.

Speaking after his loss, Medvedev said he felt he extremely tried and even dizzy at times during the encounter.

“All the match I was not feeling my best. But, sometimes it happens. Some days you feel — physically, I’m talking — sometimes you feel better, sometimes a little bit worse. Like after the tough points, I felt that my breath was not recovering fast enough. But, as I say, it can happen sometimes. You just fight and it gets better during the match. And second set, at just one moment I just felt strange. I not often feel like this, but sometimes it happens when it’s hot. So don’t know the actual reason. Maybe the heat. But, I was feeling super dizzy, tired, and there was this long game where I couldn’t serve anymore. Then, in the locker room, (I) was cramping quite a lot, so physically was not easy. But at the same time, that’s part of the game.”

Medvedev said the feeling continued in the locker room after the match, describing that he felt like a ‘fish on the sofa’.

“I was drinking a lot. But, there was a physio and the doctor. Again, they are not magicians, nothing they can do. So they just said, Drink. Doctor gave me some more electrolytes and pills. I took it, drank a lot, went shower, and they just went away a little bit. I think it was good advice to stand up, because I was like sitting down, really tired, and then suddenly every muscle just went cramp, cramp, cramp, cramp. I was like a fish on the sofa.”

“Sometimes physically I’m not the strongest guy on tour. I’m trying, I’m working, and I’m sure I’m going to become even better.”

Right now going home, recover and get ready for clay season probably: Medvedev on what’s next

Medvedev, who could have regained the world No 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic had he won the quarter-final on Thursday, denied that he felt additional pressure due to the rankings scenario.

“To be honest, consciously, no. I know that Hubert can play great tennis. For me was more important in a way just to win the match itself than to become a No. 1 by winning the match. I saw it more as a bonus. So I don’t feel like I was tight or anything because of this. To be honest, I played a lot of matches where I had the pressure, different one, and it’s not like something new happened today in terms of like going out of court and feeling crazy tight or something. So I don’t think that nerves were part of this.”

The reigning U.S. Open champion said he was now going to spend some time recovering at home and then starting preparing for the clay court season.

“Right now going home, recover and get ready for clay season probably. Last month I don’t think was easy for anybody. I just tried to practice as much as I can, to practice good, because that’s my job. I tried to play some good tennis. I’m kind of happy about the tournament in Miami in a way of tennis, because I think this surface and these balls, these two tournaments, were definitely not for me, I was struggling, it was painful to play mentally. I managed in Miami to find just a little spark to try to make it work. “

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