Daniil Medvedev says he hopes to finally mature this season and present a calmer figure on court – although he doesn’t know how it will stand the test of competition.
While there can be no doubting the quality of Medvedev’s tennis, his temperament has often been called into question.
It has led him to have several altercations with crowds, and his relationship with the spectators at the Australian Open has always been quite strained in the past.
He is happy to accept responsibility for that, acknowledging that he struggles to contain and control his emotions on the court.
However, he has rolled out the ‘new year, new me’ sentiment ahead of the new season, although whether he can deliver that in the heat of competition remains to be seen.
“Sometimes I could feel it could be – how we call it – not fair in a way. Life is not fair.
“Sometimes I would deserve it for different actions that I did. That’s what I’m saying. I want to change. I want to mature.
“I feel like I’ve done a big step these last months. Hopefully people can see it on the court because that’s the toughest challenge, tournaments.
“When you’re on court, that’s where the adrenaline is on its highest. That’s where it’s tougher to control your emotions. That’s how I want to be.
“I know maybe it was not the best Grand Slam in terms of me and the crowd. Even if something happens, I just want to kind of go with who I am, try to do less of stupid things that don’t help me as a person and tennis player.
“Hopefully I can achieve it this season, and we’re going to see a new Daniil Medvedev. It’s too early to say. We’ll have to see at the end of the season.”
