'Good results are going to come': Medvedev seeks spark in Indian Wells

The BNP Paribas Open has been a happy hunting ground for Daniil Medvedev in recent years. A finalist at the past two editions of the ATP Masters 1000, the 29-year-old hopes to pick up where he left off in the desert.

Medvedev entered Indian Wells in 2022 shortly after debuting at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Three years later, he comes in as the World No. 6 with an 8-5 record on the season. Despite reaching just one semi-final across his first five events this year, Medvedev has a positive outlook on his tennis.

"In general, my level... every tournament this year was better and better," he told the media on Tuesday. "So if I manage to continue the same way, good results are going to come, because the level was better and better every week. So I'll try to do the same here in Indian Wells."

While he is not concerned about his tennis, he is hungry to win his first title since he won five in 2023.

"It annoys me to not be able to — it's not only about playing your best level — but yeah, to normally achieve results that I'm maybe used to, that I maybe used to have," said Medvedev. "At the same time, tennis is such a sport where you just continue going, keep working. As I said, the level was going up."

While ruing his luck in tight defeats this year, like when he missed out on four match points against Tallon Griekspoor in Dubai or lost a fifth-set tie-break to Learner Tien at the Australian Open, Medvedev knows the momentum can quickly shift if he can pull out one of those tight matches.

"You just keep going," he said. "I'm here in Indian Wells. The beginning of the season was not like usual, but I'm going to try here to win the tournament. If not, it's in Miami. If not, it's clay. You keep going, you keep working. As I say, it annoys me, but I'm just going to keep going."

Given his recent results, Indian Wells could be the perfect place for Medvedev to reacquaint himself with the final weekend of a big tournament. As he prepares for his eighth appearance at the event, Medvedev shared how the tournament has grown on him over the years.

"I really started to love this tournament," he said, a far cry from his bout with mononucleosis during his first trip to Indian Wells and his initial struggles to find off-court activities. "Now I totally love it. I discovered so many things to do here. I don't like golf, but there is a crazy race circuit here, close by, the Thermal. It's just unbelievable. So every time I try to go there at least once before the tournament. And then in case the tournament doesn't work out well, I'm there every day.

"The first couple of years I stayed in the hotel. Now we have a house, and it's just a nice feeling with the team. We play pool during the evenings. We cook. Yeah, just now I absolutely love coming here."