Daniil Medvedev has been complaining about Indian Wells following his recent loss in the final.
Facing Carlos Alcaraz, the 28-year-old was outclassed after a tight first set, eventually losing in quite comfortably.
And whilst his frustrations were aired in typically upbeat and relaxed fashion, they were still very real grievances at the end of the day.
But what about Indian Wells left a sour taste in Medvedev’s mouth? We take a closer look…
What Daniil Medvedev said about Indian Wells
Speaking after the match to the press, the Russian was his usual jovial self despite outlining a very real problem with the tournament.
Starting to chat about how technology is advancing, he then moved onto the courts in California, first claiming: ‘In my opinion, there are some things in tennis that are way too old; so I always said for example, let’s say now [there’s] no line umpire, so actually okay the ball was in. I know, it’s a live system. But just show it to me! Show me the mark, you can even show me on the iPad, I don’t care.
‘I think what happens is they can’t come back. We’re in 2024 where rockets go to space, my iPhone hears what you say, when I talk about Golf with my friends the next thing I see on Twitter is Golf and I’m like okay… And then you cannot show me the mark of the shot that was three shots ago? I’m not asking for anything special.
‘It is inexplicable that on hard courts, when the ball touches the line, 5-5 first set on the tiebreak, the ball bounces different. Just use the same paint you use for the court so when the guy serves on the line you don’t get have to get a lucky point.’
Another final defeat for Daniil Medvedev
Well, yesterday’s match actually marked Medvedev’s fifth ATP Tour final loss in a row, and already his second in 2024.
Having been thwarted by another youngster in Melbourne, Alcaraz proved even more of a challenge than Jannik Sinner did, both of whom claimed the title.
And whilst he did boast a fine run throughout 2022 and 2023, winning five finals on the run, he is now just 20-18 in tour finals, a worrying record considering just six of those 38 were against one of the ‘big three’.
However, at least he is getting there, and playing some impressive tennis too.
His time will come once again, as he will likely be weighing up his chances in the upcoming Grand Slams, particularly the US Open. For now, this latest loss will hurt.
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