Daniil Medvedev explores on and off-court personas in Bolshe! interview

The dream team over at Bolshe! dropped another in-depth interview just in time for Roland Garros, this time sitting down with former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Bolshe! has gotten up close and personal with some of the biggest names in the sport, most notably Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev. This time, journalist Sofya Tartakova sat down with Medvedev amid an up and down 2025 season, exploring the two sides of the eminently quotable 2021 US Open champion.

“It’s not really two different personalities,” explains Medvedev. “It’s just that on the court, there are things that make me feel the emotions. I mean, things like adrenaline, and emotions that I very rarely experience in real life.

“I mean, in life, it happens twice a year, three time a year where I can yell at someone, get pissed off sometimes. But on the court it happens, if not every day, then very often! So, that’s why it’s a bit like it’s two different people. But it has to do with the emotions that you experience and the actions you perform. There is no action in my life that I need to execute with this precision. That’s why I don’t get nervous.”

Indeed, Medvedev tends to cut a more relaxed, introspective character off the court—a stark contrast to the more fiery persona that tends to take over in tough matches. But while Medvedev is never at a loss for words, he demurs slightly when asked to open up about his more easygoing off-court attitude.

“I honestly don’t know how to describe myself at all,” smiles Medvedev. “I always prefer to say that people around me can describe me. but thankfully, they don’t give out interviews! But like everyone else, I guess, I’m a complicated person, I like to say about myself. I seem very simple when people meet me, have a chat with me. They think, ‘Ok, I understood him. I ca see right through him.’ But if you were to hang out with me a little longer, you would see there is a whole world. But I think it’s the same for everyone.

“When I’m on the court, it’s not a separate person, but it’s just that this complicated world inside of me comes out and fully shows itself on the court. But in general, I’m someone who takes everything very easy, especially if you don’t bother me. For example, if I want to go drink some water and someone tells me I can’t, then I might tense up a bit. What do you mean I can’t? But if you don’t bother me, if I’m just doing my thing, everyone around lives their own lives, then I’m a very easy person.”

In general, I’m someone who takes everything very easy, especially if you don’t bother me. For example, if I want to go drink some water and someone tells me I can’t, then I might tense up a bit. What do you mean I can’t? But if you don’t bother me, if I’m just doing my thing, everyone around lives their own lives, then I’m a very easy person. Daniil Medvedev

Though Medvedev has been one of the most consistent players on the ATP tour in the 2020s, the 29-year-old has endured numerous physical hiccups in the last two years, dealing with prolonged shoulder issues and a back injury that cropped up at the Miami Open.

“All of us will be broken in our 40s,” Medvedev says flatly, but offers some relative perspective. “My knee hurts when it rains, and so on. Of course, it happens to everyone as they get older, but it’s going to be even worse for the athletes.

“Our sport is not the worst. There’s American football, and some studies show that by the time they’re 50 years old, it affects their head. Then there’s boxing. So, tennis is relatively fine. Your knees, back, elbows will hurt.”

Check out the full interview with Medvedev—and a full archive of *Bolshe!* Interviews—by clicking here.