"Hopefully one day you can let me play better here; so far, it doesn't work" - Daniil Medvedev addresses Carlos Alcaraz after Indian Wells final loss
Daniil Medvedev congratulated Carlos Alcaraz on his victory after their thrilling clash in the 2024 Indian Wells Masters final.
In a rematch of last year's final, Alcaraz pulled off a successful title defense at the Masters 1000 event with a 7-6(5), 6-1 win over Medvedev in an hour and 42 minutes. In doing so, the Spaniard clinched his first title since beating Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final last year as he won his fifth Masters 1000 title.
Daniil Medvedev was gracious in defeat as he congratulated Carlos Alcaraz on his triumph. The Russian humorously expressed his hope that the World No. 2 would give him the chance to perform better at Indian Wells in the future.
He also joked about facing a different opponent in the final, given his struggles against the Spaniard at the Masters 1000 event.
"First of all, would like to congratulate Carlos. It's definitely your court, you like it here. Congrats to you, your team. We said it many times but you are doing a great job so continue this way," he said during the trophy presentation.
"And hopefully one day you can let me play a little bit better here or maybe I'm not going to play you in the final because so far it doesn't work here. But congrats, an amazing job today and an amazing job throughout the two weeks," he added.
Medvedev extended a heartfelt message of gratitude towards his coaching team, acknowledging that they did a "great job" at the tournament despite his loss in the final.
"Then I would like to thank my team plus David somewhere there. Fut two weeks, you know, cooking and playing games, not usual two weeks so. I still think we did a great job so thank you guys," he said.
Carlos Alcaraz extends winning record against Daniil Medvedev with Indian Wells triumph
Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev have locked horns in six tour-level encounters. The Spaniard extended his winning record against Medvedev to 4-2 following his triumph in the Indian Wells final.
Medvedev emerged victorious in their first meeting on tour, beating the World No. 2 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 at 2021 Wimbledon. Alcaraz claimed a dominant 6-3, 6-2 win over the World No. 4 in the 2023 Indian Wells Masters, followed by 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win in last year's Wimbledon semifinal.
Medvedev recorded his second victory against the two-time Grand Slam champion in the US Open semifinals last year, winning 7-6(3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Subsequently, Carlos Alcaraz secured a 6-4, 6-4 triumph in the group stage of the ATP Finals before winning this year's Indian Wells final.