USA Today via Reuters
Oct 13, 2021; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Daniil Medvedev (RUS) shakes hands with Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) after their fourth round match during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Oct 13, 2021; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Daniil Medvedev (RUS) shakes hands with Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) after their fourth round match during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Top seed Daniil Medvedev saw a surprising end to his Indian Wells Masters 2021 run against 23rd seed Grigor Dimitrov; He lost to the Bulgarian 6-4, 4-6, 3-6. Consequently, the Russian World No.2 compared the Indian Wells’ courts with clay courts. Notably, he also claimed that his opponent might go on to win the title this year.
At one point in the match, Medvedev was leading 6-4, 4-1 in the second set. However, Dimitrov took 11 of the last 14 games and caused the biggest upset in the desert so far. Hence, he convinced the Russian he has what it takes to win his second ATP Masters 1000 title.
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Daniil Medvedev reflects on his Indian Wells loss against Grigor Dimitrov
Most significantly, the reigning US Open champion, Daniil Medvedev, had an opening for the World No.1 spot if he had gone all the way in Indian Wells. Thus, his dreams of replacing Novak Djokovic from the echelon might be over.
Additionally, Medvedev revealed he prefers faster courts; hence, the courts in the desert gave him no advantage. That is why he blamed the court speed for the complete breakdown of his game from the second half of the second set.
“I’ve never been broken three consecutive times on hard courts before,” Medvedev said. “This shows how slow the courts are. Like clay.”
USA Today via Reuters
Oct 13, 2021; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Daniil Medvedev (RUS) hits a shot against Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) in his fourth round match during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Besides, the 25-year-old Russian did not take away anything from his opponent. Instead, Medvedev chose Grigor Dimitrov as his pick for the Indian Wells winner this year.
“Dimitrov played better than any of my opponents at the USO. He will win Indian Wells playing like this,” Medvedev concluded.
From here on, the Russian might focus more on tournaments and not the ATP Rankings. Naturally, Djokovic has a clear chance of ending the year on a high.
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What’s next for Medvedev after the Indian Wells loss?
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In the 2020 season, Medvedev acted as a late-bloomer, winning the last two tournaments back to back. As a result, he will be defending the Paris Masters 1000 and ATP Finals titles this year.
via Getty
PARIS, FRANCE – NOVEMBER 8: Winner Daniil Medvedev of Russia between his wife Daria Medvedeva and his coach Gilles Cervara poses with the trophy following his victory over Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men’s final on day 7 of the Rolex Paris Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 tournament held behind closed doors at AccorHotels Arena formerly known as Paris Bercy on November 8, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Unsurprisingly, the Russian has already qualified for the year-ending championships in Turin. However, considering his recent loss, defending these titles might be more challenging than expected.
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Above all, Medvedev is hungry to win and is looking forward to giving his 100% ahead. Let’s see if he can manage to defend his two titles of last year.
