Indian Wells, the Alcaraz-Medvedev final at midnight. And Sinner turns the page

The desire to improve, to grow, to approach a level that, at the moment, seems unattainable for almost everyone. And while Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev will battle it out for the Indian Wells title around midnight, Jannik is already trying to figure out how to fill this gap to be the next one to fight for an important title. “If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best” is Carlos Alcaraz’s motto and Jannik is also on the same wavelength. After the semifinal loss in two sets, with a wasted set point in the first partial, the South Tyrolean analyzes the situation with lucidity: “I can still do a lot, especially with regard to movement on the pitch. I have to be able to move more quickly, and as soon as possible”.

There have been improvements since last year but they weren’t enough to move forward in the match against the Spaniard: “The goal is to be a different player again within a year. I still need 2-3 seasons to get to the top physically and I have to accept it, even if it’s difficult for me since I always train to compete at my best – commented Sinner -. 4 points more than me. In Miami I start from scratch: the goal is to get to play more games like this. The more I play, the better it is”.

The final

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Meanwhile, at midnight, Carlos Alcaraz sets off again in the hunt for the number 1 in the world lost at the hands of Novak Djokovic, absent due to lack of vaccine: “I know that by winning the tournament I would be number one again in the world, but I try not to think about it. Against Medvedev it will be a very tactical and difficult. He’s a block, he returns every ball. He runs a lot, returns great, he’s an incredible player. To hit a winner against him you need one hundred percent.” Medvedev also reached the top of the ranking but after a very difficult 2022 he had also dropped out of the top 10, climbing back to number 6 for now: “Even if I beat him at Wimbledon 2021, this will be like a first challenge between the two of us – he comments the Russian -. He is an incredible player, who has qualities that are difficult to compare to those of others. One would compare him to Nadal, but Nadal is left-footed. I don’t think there is anyone who can hit so hard forehand, giving all that topspin But we shouldn’t be surprised: this is also why he became the youngest number one in history. It will be fun to face him and try to beat him.”