World number four Daniil Medvedev was left searching for answers after opening his maiden Nitto ATP Finals campaign with a 7-6 (5), 6-4 loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Russian dropped consecutive matches for the first time in almost six months as he lost to Jeremy Chardy in his opening match at the Rolex Paris Masters.
Medvedev opens up after losing ATP Finals debut
"I think just general energy was not the way I wanted", Medvedev said following his defeat. "And talking about energy, i'm not only talking about physical. Mentally I was missing something. I didn't have good energy enough to get the win today.
"But honestly, the way I was practicing last few weeks, I should say, I really lost a little bit the level I was playing, so I should say it was positive today, and i'm quite happy with the way I played regarding my last performances mostly on practices."
After his incredible run through the summer season, which included his first Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati and his first Grand Slam final appearance at the U.S. Open, the Russian withdrew from Moscow and revealed why.
"There is more problems physically", he said. That's why I decided to take a break from Moscow in the end, because I knew that my body needs a rest if I don't want to get injured. So that was a decision to make. We cannot play 40 tournaments in a year.
"So it's something more mentally. As I say, I lost the momentum a little bit, but try my best to get it back. I'm confident that at one moment I will get it back. The other question is is it going to be this tournament or the next one?"
When asked to pinpoint what he would have done differently against Tsitsipas, the Russian claimed "don't really see anything. I mean, there were some shots -- for example, I remember one point at 30-30, I think it was 3-2 in the first set and I didn't put away an easy volley.
"But it's just small moments. As I say, I did feel during the match that the momentum was on his side even if the match was really close. Actually, it was the same in the previous five matches. They were all really close, but I had the momentum. Today it was on the other way, and I don't think I could have changed anything except just play better, which I tried."