"Maybe at 30 Carlos Alcaraz says he's tired of tennis, maybe he plays until 45" - Daniil Medvedev on Spaniard reaching elite champion status in future
Daniil Medvedev has had his say on Carlos Alcaraz potentially going on to become an elite champion in the future.
The Russian suffered a bruising defeat at the hands of Alcaraz in the final of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He had made a promising start against the Spaniard but ultimately lost 6(5)-7, 1-6. Medvedev had also lost to Alcaraz at last year's Indian Wells final.
Earlier this year, the Russian had to settle for second-best at the Australian Open as well as Jannik Sinner prevented Medvedev from winning his second Grand Slam title. Despite comfortably winning the first two sets, the Russian failed to see out the match, allowing Sinner to roar back into contention and ultimately win the final.
During his interaction with the press after the conclusion of the BNP Paribas Open men's singles final, Medvedev spoke about the possibility of Alcaraz surpassing Novak Djokovic's record of 24 Grand Slam titles. According to the Russian, it is difficult to predict a specific number due to the uncertainty surrounding the longevity of Alcaraz's career.
"Maybe at 30 Carlos says, I'm tired of tennis, I stop, or maybe he's going to play until he's 45, and the medicine improves so much he can do it," Medvedev said.
The 2021 US Open champion also predicted a glorious future for both Alcaraz and Sinner. At the same time, he assessed his chances of competing with his younger rivals to win the biggest tournaments.
"I'm sure that Carlos and Jannik will have a lot of slams. But until I play I hope I can sometimes try to beat them because it's a very tough job, very tough task," Medvedev added.
Carlos Alcaraz widened the head-to-head gap between himself and Daniil Medvedev with Indian Wells triumph
Before the Indian Wells final, Alcaraz led Medvedev 3-2 in their head-to-head record. After clinching it, the Spaniard has improved to four wins over the Russian. Worryingly, Medvedev has managed to beat the 20-year-old only once since the start of 2023. That solitary win for the Russian came at the 2023 US Open.
However, Medvedev still enjoys a 6-4 lead in his head-to-head record against Jannik Sinner, despite having been beaten by the Italian in their last four matches.
The Russian would want to bounce back from his Indian Wells disappointment quickly and focus on his next objective, which is to defend his Miami Open crown.