Daniil Medvedev highlighted the issues he thinks Holger Rune may have with his game.
The 28-year-old kept his hopes alive of reaching a third successive Indian Wells final after outlasting Arthur Fils in a three-set epic.
The Russian has now equalled his best result of the season after reaching the semi-finals at the Marseille Open in February.
In order to return to the championship match at Indian Wells, Daniil Medvedev will need to get past Holger Rune, who is on his best run of the season so far.
What are the issues Daniil Medvedev thinks Holger Rune has?
Medvedev is preparing to face Rune at the Indian Wells for the first time since their meeting at the same Masters 1000 event a year ago.
The Russian claimed victory on that occasion and he will aim to do the same again, but he will be against the resurgent Dane who is into his first semi-final of the season.
The World number 13 came from a set down to beat Tallon Griekspoor in the last eight, backing up Rune’s 6-4, 6-4 victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the round of 16.
Ahead of their fourth meeting, Medvedev assessed his opponent and thinks he has two issues with his game, inconsistency and not always knowing the right shot to play because he can play so many.
“Talent is really, like, strong, great, I don’t know how you say it, because he has, I would say, probably every shot that you can have in tennis,” Medvedev said.
“Good slice, good dropshot, good volley. He can spin, he can play flat, he can serve well, he can kick well. I feel like he has every shot. I wonder if maybe sometimes it disturbs him, because when you have like that many arms, it might be tricky.
“But as I say, I think we all see him, probably he knows that sometimes he’s not consistent in the beginning of tournaments, but when he’s deep there, he’s a tough player to beat. So I’m expecting a tough match. I need to play well.”
Daniil Medvedev aiming for third win against Holger Rune in Indian Wells semi-final
Both Rune and Medvedev are searching for their first titles of the season.
They have been close to their best levels of tennis at Indian Wells, and they have had to grind out some difficult victories on the way to the semi-finals in California.
This is their first meeting since playing at Indian Wells a year ago, where Medvedev won 7-5, 6-4.
He also claimed victory when the pair met in the 2023 Italian Open final, the Russian won his only clay court title.
Rune won their first meeting at the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters, and he looks to level their head-to-head rivalry at Indian Wells.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
