Medvedev chases Alcaraz revenge in Indian Wells final rematch

Can Daniil Medvedev prevent history repeating itself Sunday at the BNP Paribas Open?

For the second year in a row, the fourth seed takes on Carlos Alcaraz in the championship match at the ATP Masters 1000 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. If he wants to avoid a repeat of last year’s straight-sets loss to the Spaniard, Medvedev believes he must bring his absolute best to their latest showdown in the California desert (Watch from 2 p.m. PDT/5 p.m. EDT/10 p.m. CET).

“That's the way I entered the match with Carlos at the US Open,” said Medvedev, referring to his 2023 semi-final win in New York when asked whether he needs to produce a ‘perfect match’ to snap the Spaniard’s 11-match winning streak in Indian Wells. “I still feel this way, especially on this court.”

Alcaraz will be full of confidence when he steps on court fresh from ending Jannik Sinner’s 16-match unbeaten start to the season with a stunning semi-final comeback. The Spaniard was relieved to book his place in the championship match after losing four straight tour-level semi-finals since his previous final appearance in Cincinnati last August.

“I'm really, really happy to [reach] another final,” said Alcaraz, the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings, in his post-semi-final press conference. “It means a lot to me to play such a great level and be able to play another final. “Of course, beating Jannik, we have a really good rivalry, and a 16-match streak, to be able to end something like this, it's incredible for me.”

Medvedev’s four-set victory against Alcaraz in their US Open semi-final was his only bright spot in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry across 2023. The Spaniard otherwise backed up his Indian Wells final victory with similarly one-sided triumphs against his rival at Wimbledon and the Nitto ATP Finals.

Yet Medvedev will hope his rock-solid 14-2 start to 2024, which includes a championship-match run at the Australian Open, has set him up nicely for his latest showdown with Alcaraz. The 28-year-old fourth seed has dropped just two sets en route to the final and was particularly impressive in fighting back against an inspired Tommy Paul in Saturday’s semi-finals.

The way he handles the relatively slow and bouncy conditions in Indian Wells, which Alcaraz has historically enjoyed, could be key for Medvedev. The 20-time tour-level champion believes he needs to find a way to consistently hit through his opponent.

“I think [in the semi-final against Sinner] today he showed exactly why I personally think this court suits him perfectly,” said Medvedev of Alcaraz. “Little slow bounce from time to time to give him time, and he doesn't care about wind here and that the ball doesn't travel through the air.

“Sometimes it's tough to make a passing shot here because the ball in the air kind of continues flying, so it can go out, but it loses space in there. That's what happens with the serve… If I want to win, I will try to see what I can do tactically, but then I have to go there, a little bit like Tommy did today, try to play on the line, try to hit some amazing shots, get into his head, and try to win like this.”

Finals Day @BNPPARIBASOPEN 🎾@carlosalcaraz 🆚 @DaniilMedwed

In the 2023 final...

1️⃣ Alcaraz 🎯 wide serve
2️⃣ Medvedev trademark deep return position
3️⃣ Alcaraz winners on Serve +1 to the Ad Court

How often will we see this pattern today?#TennisInsights | @atptour |… pic.twitter.com/T2yhWCwyPK

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 17, 2024

For Alcaraz, it will be a case of trying to produce more of the same from his semi-final win against Sinner. The Spaniard, who is chasing his first title of the year and his fifth Masters 1000 crown overall, says his familiarity with Medvedev’s game means he can go into the match with a clear game plan.

“I know how I have to play against him,” said the 20-year-old. “I have played him many times, [including] in the final here against him last year. I know pretty well the tactics against him. I'm not going to [say them], but I know very, very well how to play against him.”

Medvedev is looking to complete the full set of hard-court Masters 1000 titles after his victories in Cincinnati (2019), Shanghai (2019), Paris (2020), Canada (2021), and Miami (2023). He may hope that Alcaraz’s relative title drought, which has seen the Spaniard not lift a trophy since Wimbledon last July, adds to the Spaniard’s nerves as the final progresses.

The defending champion Alcaraz will likely have plenty of support to help get him through tough moments, however. In his young career so far he has consistently demonstrated an ability to channel energy from fans in the stands, and there will likely be no lack of supportive voices inside Stadium Court on Saturday afternoon.

“It's amazing having such a great crowd, having such a great energy and love from the people [when I am] playing in another part of the world,” said Alcaraz. “I'm a lucky guy, receiving this energy in every match, in every practice, in every place that I'm going. It's something crazy.

“I won some matches because of them. Probably if I don't have them, it's going to be tougher or even impossible to overcome a lot of problems that I have in the matches. So I have to thank them for every support, every time that they are supporting me, they are giving their love, their energy to boost me up in those problems. For me, it's unbelievable.”