Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev is not too worried after losing first place in men’s singles at the Indian Wells Masters 1000 tournament on Monday night after shockingly defeating Gael Monfils in the third round. Medvedev needed to reach the quarter-finals in the desert to remain at the top but he was edged out by Monfils after the Frenchman won 4-6 6-3 6-1.
Medvedev had replaced Novak Djokovic as the new world no. Djokovic doesn’t play the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami) as he was barred from entering the United States of America due to his unvaccinated status.
However, Medvedev is confident he will do well and give himself a chance to reclaim first place in men’s singles.
“Is it better to be number 1, say, a week in your life or never touch it?. I think it’s still better to at least touch it,” Medvedev said after his defeat in Indian Wells.
“Well now I know I’m going to lose it. So I have Miami to try and get it back. Normally in Miami I feel a bit better in terms of tennis so we’ll try to play well there. Thought It could give me more motivation, well, I had motivation. It’s just, yeah, I didn’t find my best tennis,” he added.
NADAL: 17-0 IN 2022
Medvedev had a good run in 2022 when he reached the Australian Open final and Acapulco semifinals. However, the Russian star lost to Rafael Nadal both times.
Nadal has been on the road to success this season as he reached the pre-quarterfinals in Indian Wells. The 21-time Grand Slam champion defeated 27th-seeded Daniel Evans 7-5, 6-3 and improved his record to 17-0 this year to clinch a fourth ATP Tour-leading title.
Nadal tied Roger Federer (2018) and Pete Sampras (1997) for the third-best overall start to a season in the Open era that began in 1968.
Medvedev shed a light on the need to be more consistent and admired the Big 3’s ability to capitalize on their good form.
“I always say when I’m playing my best tennis, my good tennis, it’s really hard to beat me,” Medvedev said.
“But the hardest thing about tennis is repeating it over and over again. That’s where the big three are just unreal because no matter what the conditions, no matter the surface, they always win tournaments or some crazy matches quite often. Yes, I have to try to do better,” he added.
