Daniil Medvedev lost to Ugo Humbert in straight sets in the Dubai semi-final, meaning that once again he has failed to defend a title.
He said, however, that it was not a question of feeling the pressure – but a lack of energy, which he hopes to recover before the US swing.
“I think it’s more, as I said, for different reasons,” he said in his press conference. “I think like two or three I know them, one of them would be injury before the tournament. I didn’t have much practice. Before the week when I came, I couldn’t serve. The only day I could start to serve was the day before the tournament. As you saw, my serve was not my biggest weapon this tournament.
“In a way I’m really happy I managed to make semis. I actually was not that far today from doing something. Cannot say from winning because I lost in two sets. But it was pretty close. All of this without big serve, to be honest. So it’s good.
“Yeah, I just hope that next weeks… I’m going to Indian Wells maybe tomorrow, the day after. I just hope I can bring more energy on the court and be a bit tougher, yeah.”
Asked to clarify what he meant by “energy”, he could not do so.
“I don’t even know. It could be physical. It could be mental. Sometimes you need one break point. You’re like, C’mon. You won the break, like in Australia, some matches against Zverev and Hurkacz in the fifth set, it was tough. As soon as I had the break, in my mind I’m like I’m not losing this match, I’m going to the end.
“Here I didn’t have it. As I say, the actual reason I don’t know. I have a possibility that it was injury, whatever. But this has to change if I want to win next tournaments, if I want to be better.”
