Bayern has a new coach this season. What is your impression of Julian Nagelsmann?
Medvedev: I am really excited that he is the new coach. I was following him from the beginning of his Hoffenheim days, when he took over as a 28 year old. My physical coach played soccer himself in France in the 4th league and we talked about Nagelsmann because in France it would have been impossible for a 28 year old to be the manager of a side in the first division. And Nagelsmann did an unbelievable job finding and developing players at Hoffenheim and turning them into stars. He also did a great job at Leipzig. I really like his style and I am looking forward to having him as the coach at Bayern for a long long time hopefully.
The big goal for the season is obviously winning the Champions League, but is there a way to beat PSG with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe in one team, assuming Mbappe stays?
Medvedev: It is amazing. I have to be honest, Paris is not far away from my home in Monaco. I will certainly plan some trips to see these three guys playing together. I need to watch that. Or if they play in Monaco of course. But Bayern still has a chance to beat them. Anything can happen in the Champions League. Who would have predicted Chelsea as winners at the beginning of last season? Nobody. And at the end they won it in style. Except for Real with Zidane no team has been able to win it twice in a row, that is what makes the Champions League so special.
"I actually was super bad in defence"
PSG look like a team that everyone wants to play with on FIFA. Is it right that you were kind of crazy playing FIFA on playstation?
Medvedev: I was really good till I was 17, 18 years old. Then I started to be more professional about my tennis career and playing more tournaments. But before that I was on the same level than the best guys in Russia. I was playing on the same level with a guy who is now I think a three-time champion in FIFA in Russia. It was super fun. After five or six years of not doing much I actually played again this year. I was not amazing, I would have liked to be better, but it was okay. I was playing Ultimate Team and I was able to stay in the division all the time, my record was pretty good, so I can still play a little bit.
If you were a soccer player who would you be?
Medvedev: That is a tough question. I have to be honest, I probably would not succeed as a soccer player. Just judging by my height I probably should be a central defender quite easily. The problem is that when I played I actually was super bad in defence. I don't know why but I just did not have the feel for it. Maybe I would be like Artem Dzyuba. He has scored the most goals ever in the Russian national team, a really special player. People who do not understand sports would say that he cannot do anything but he just keeps scoring goals. So maybe I could be similar. Having no idea what I do on the pitch but somehow getting the ball in the net.
If you were the manager of a big club, who would be the player that you want to buy immediately if you have the budget?
Medvedev: For me, more than buying someone for 100 million, it would be even more fun to find these 18 year old players playing in the second divisions somewhere around the world and then, one day, they turn into superstars. That has to be so cool. And if he was not already playing for Bayern, I would buy Serge Gnabry, just because I love his goal celebrations so much.
"I have already achieved more than I have ever dreamt of"
In soccer there is obviously another atmosphere than in tennis, you can come into away stadiums and feel the hate, you can feel the love at home from your own fans, it seems that you are a guy that thrives in special atmospheres. How much do you need the fans for you to play your best?
Medvedev: I think it is the same in all sports. We all love to have the fans in the stands. We have experienced a lot of tournaments without fans during the pandemic and even though you always feel they are still there watching from home and you try to win for them, it is not the same. It is so much more fun to play in front of fans. When people are shouting your name, when they are close to you. Even if they are against you, then you can say to yourself: Now I will beat all of them. I think in New York during the night session it is probably the closest to soccer in terms of atmosphere, it's truly electric.
Obviously winning your first Grand Slam is a huge goal. What needs to happen in the next ten years so that you for yourself can say, this was a fantastic career, I have no regrets?
Medvedev: To be honest, that is quite easy for me to say. I do not have one particular goal. Of course I could say I want to win 30 Grand Slams and 55 Masters titles but that is probably impossible. So my first goal is just to do my best - on and off the court. I want to work as hard as I can and try to win every single match when I step on the court. I have already achieved more than I have ever dreamt of. I want to achieve more, because that is my personality. But the most important thing is that when I put the racquet away one day I want to be able to say to myself: I have done everything that I could, let's see what I have achieved. Then I will have no regrets.
