mtenis.com.pl

Fifth seed's 19-match winning streak snapped by Alcaraz
After a lopsided defeat like the one Daniil Medvedev suffered Sunday in the BNP Paribas Open final, it can be hard to know whether to laugh or cry. For the fifth seed — who saw his 19-match win streak snapped by Carlos Alcaraz, 6-3, 6-2 in a first Indian Wells title match for both — it's the former.

"I think this one I will get over pretty quickly," he said in his post-match press conference, noting his positive mindset after winning three straight titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai. "I managed to make my best result in Indian Wells where before I couldn't make it to the quarters, and already my second match was a three-setter.

"A lot of positives, for sure. I think this one, I will be forever disappointed that I didn't win the final, but I can laugh already and whatever, I'm gonna try to win the next one or win this one next year. Looking forward already and, for sure, will not think too much about this one but will discuss it with my coach."

You May Also Like: Alcaraz Wins Indian Wells, Returns To World No. 1
Medvedev was well below his best, while Alcaraz was firing on all cylinders in the pair's second ATP Head2Head meeting and first since Wimbledon 2021, when Medvedev cruised to a straight-sets win.

The biggest disappointment for the fifth seed, aside from falling short of a fifth ATP Masters 1000 title, was a missed opportunity to tie his career-long win streak of 20 matches.

"Damn, one away from my record. That's actually disappointing," he said with a smile.

The Official App Of Tennis | Download ATP WTA Live App

"This would be cool to try to beat it and maybe try to prolong it as long as possible. It's great to have these streaks," continued Medvedev, who was bidding to become the first man to win four titles in five weeks since Andy Murray in 2016.

"Really disappointed that it ended, but a lot of confidence from this streak. Because last year, that's what I was missing, these streaks. I was doing sometimes finals, semis in Cincinnati, kind of playing good but not playing well enough in the semis. I managed to win 19 matches in a row. I'm proud of it, and now it's time to try to build a new streak. There is no other way in tennis."


At 27, Medvedev can be considered a veteran of the ATP Tour. As such, he can take heart from his experience on the other end of one-sided results in marquee matchups. He recalled his 6-4, 6-4 win against Novak Djokobvic in the Dubai final earlier this month, a match in which the Serbian could not summon his best level.

Further reflecting on Sunday's final, Medvedev struggled to diagnose the problems with his game, but he had no issue accepting the result.

"Why didn't I play my best? I don't know," he said. "Maybe it was his ball. Maybe it was the wind. It was pretty windy today, and for him it was easier to go through this wind, and that's normal. That's what's easier to do for him.

"So I have no real reasons, and sometimes in tennis you don't have them. Disappointed with the result, but the week was amazing. Because Indian Wells, to make final, I'm just super happy and proud... I see only good things, and looking forward to Miami, for sure."

Former World No. 1 vows to stick to his winning formula... for now
Daniil Medvedev isn’t ready to throw out the playbook just yet.

Despite scavenging just five games from Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s one-sided BNP Paribas Open final, ‘Deep-court Daniil’ says that he won’t be altering his court position should he face the World No. 1 again at the Miami Open presented by Itau this fortnight.

“It's possible [that I may not play as deep] but I'm not sure if I would do it,” he said Wednesday of his next hard-court meeting with Alcaraz, whenever that might come. “For sure if I lose two matches in a row staying back and just as easy I have to definitely change something. But one match is not enough."

The Official App Of Tennis | Download ATP WTA Live App

Alcaraz exploited Medvedev’s positioning through a combination of well-timed serve/volley plays, his signature drop shots, and by taking advantage of the slower court conditions to take big cuts from the ground to clock a series of winners past the 2021 US Open champion.

But Medvedev believes that faster conditions at other hard-court events – including in Miami – will favour his preferred position deep behind the baseline.

"I'll only have to wait for a match on faster hard courts to see if my court positioning will work when the ball is flying faster through the air and the opponent won't have as much time to play serve and volley and play from the baseline,” he said. “During the match there was a small time when I tried to play a little more aggressive and closer to the baseline. But on those one or two games he was serving bombs so that didn't help me. And it's not that easy to change things up during a match.”

Despite his 6-3, 6-2 loss to Alcaraz in the Indian Wells title match, Medvedev arrives in Miami high on confidence, having won 19 of his past 20 matches, a run comprising titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai and the BNP Paribas Open final. That already is an improvement on the two titles he won last year. Medvedev, who is 23-4 on the season, said that rediscovering his consistency has underpinned his recent surge back into the Top 5 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

You May Also Like: Alcaraz First-Person Essay: 'I Am Ambitious And My Goals Are Big'
“I managed to get back in the zone, which I didn't really have for all of 2022, when I was less consistent,” he said. “I would have some good matches or tournaments but out of nowhere I would have one bad match. I've managed to avoid that the past four weeks. I have no idea how I have done it, but I am really happy and want to continue.”

Medvedev’s first-round opponent in Miami will be the winner of the all-Spanish clash between Roberto Carballes Baena and Bernabe Zapata Miralles. He is in the bottom half of the draw, so could only meet Alcaraz should both players reach the final.

Rublev reflects on memorable moment
One Direction and two ATP Tour stars combined for an unforgettable moment in Mexico.

Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev spent a day in Mexico before traveling to Florida for the Miami Open presented by Itau. They received a big surprise when they met One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson.

“That was funny because when we were arriving, we saw so many people in front of the hotel,” Rublev said. “Daniil was like, ‘Why [are there] so many people here?’

“Outside of the hotel were a thousand people, kids, girls. As soon as he came out you cannot imagine what was happening. I saw it only in YouTube videos. I’ve never seen something like this in my life.”


Rublev took his phone out to record the scene as Tomlinson’s fans screamed. When the singer walked by, he stopped to take a photo with the tennis players.

“It was a bit embarrassing, but it was still okay. In Daniil’s situation it was embarassing-embarassing because first of all the guy had no idea who we are and Daniil had no idea who he is. Me at least, I knew who he is, but Daniil had no idea,” Rublev said. “He was with 10 security [guards] around, he was in the middle and they were like, ‘Okay, fast, or something’. Even if they told him that we are athletes, that we are not that bad, not just random people.

“It was just, ‘Hey hey’, fast photo. But at least I knew who he is. Daniil, he didn’t even know, so he didn’t even want to do the photo. But [he did] because they said, ‘Okay let’s do it, it’s going to be nice’. Daniil didn’t know him, the guy didn’t know him, but it looked like Daniil is a friend of his because he was the one who approached.”

Rublev was plenty familiar with Tomlinson. In 2015, he recorded a music video covering One Direction’s Steal My Girl.

“Actually, I had fun. I like music a lot and I never had at that moment [the] experience [of] how you do [a music video] from the beginning because all the instruments that were there, it’s not from the cover,” Rublev said. “The guys were playing with real instruments. Everything — piano, guitar, drums — were separated and then they put them all together. So for me it was a really nice experience to see how this process goes.”

The Official App Of Tennis | Download ATP WTA Live App

The biggest question is, who would Rublev have join him in a tennis-player version of One Direction.

“I would not pick myself,” Rublev quickly said.

He thought of players who look like an artist, producing names including Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Casper Ruud, who reminds him of Niall Horan.

How about Medvedev?

“No chance,” Rublev said. “Daniil can be the agent. Daniil is the manager.”