"I lose today, I go home, perfect" - Daniil Medvedev reveals new mentality hack that helped him bounce back from ATP Finals opener nightmare

Daniil Medvedev bounced back from his loss in the opening match at the ATP Finals with an impressive straight-sets win over Alex de Minaur on Tuesday, November 12. The Russian revealed that he was more carefree in the match against the Aussie which helped him earn the win.

On Sunday, Medvedev was left frustrated by Taylor Fritz as the American won their Ilie Nastase Group campaign opener 6-4, 6-3. The 28-year-old lamented the balls being used at the event while quipping about being tired at the fag end of the season.

However, the Russian was reenergized on the center court in Turin on Tuesday as he downed De Minaur 6-2, 6-4 without facing a single break point. Medvedev was ruthless in attack, outhitting the Aussie 24 winners to 10 in their 78-minute encounter.

During a post-match interview, Medvedev was asked what changed for him mentally since the match against Fritz. He claimed that he deliberately shifted towards a carefree mentality, accepting the possibility of losing as a way to perform freely.

"I mean, I decided to not care at all because it's end of the season, for sure, tired mentally, and everyone is tired... So I decided, okay, I know I see that I’m not able to deal with it right now, so I should just care less," Daniil Medvedev said.

"I lose today, I go home Thursday, perfect. I win today, I have the chance Thursday against Sinner, a great opponent. Whatever," he added.

Medvedev went on to describe his approach as simply "try to hit some balls" without overthinking the consequences. This strategy, he admitted, was unusual and only suitable for occasional use, but in this instance, it helped him regain his form and secure the win.

"Sometimes you have to do it, and I’m happy it worked today."

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"Didn’t care what was happening on the court" - Daniil Medvedev on 'blocking the noise' during his win over Alex de Minaur at the ATP Finals

Daniil Medvedev at the Nitto ATP Finals 2024 (Image: Getty)

Soon after earning the win against Alex de Minaur at the 2024 ATP Finals, Daniil Medvedev shut his ears with his fingers in celebration. His message was to "block the noise." The 2020 ATP Finals champion opened up about it during a post-match interview.

"I went into this match blocking the noise, even from myself,” Medvedev said (via ATP Tour). "I really didn’t care what was happening on the court, I just tried to play, and it was a good feeling. Sometimes it’s good to block it [the noise], and I did that well today."

On Thursday, November 14, the Russian will take on Jannik Sinner in the final Round Robin match with De Minaur facing Taylor Fritz.