Daniil Medvedev was amazed by Carlos Alcaraz this week in Indian Wells praising him heavily ahead of their finals clash on Sunday.
Alcaraz and Medvedev have only played once before and it happened at the 2021 Wimbledon with the Russian winning in three sets. This time around it's going to be a final and one where Medvedev will enter with 19 consecutive wins. It's an amazing matchup and Medvedev can't wait because he's always liked Alcaraz as a player.
Speaking after his win over Tiafoe, Medvedev said:
"Carlos, when he was there at like 17, I was, like, Wow, this guy, he's strong, but you never know, sometimes guy hits strong and then makes a lot of unforced. Let's see how he does. Then in one year he's No. 1 in the world. There are matches where he doesn't miss much, hitting just stronger than his opponents."
He coninuted:
"That's like surprising or amusing to see, because, well, you're like, If this guy is on fire, what can you do? I remember Madrid I didn't watch the matches but when he beat Rafa and Novak back to back on clay, that's amazing at 18 years old. So he has amazing skills. The question is, we know that he knows how to use them. Then the question comes, does he win 10 Grand Slams, 5, or 23 and maybe he beats the record."
On specifically playing him, Medvedev said:
"It's going to be enjoyable to see and enjoyable to play against him. That's why, if he's the winner, I'm gonna be, yeah, it's going to be great to play him, especially I'm feeling confident now. I think surface is better for him, but I'm gonna try my best to show my best tennis and hopefully have a great final."