Daniil Medvedev joked about a love-hate relationship with the Indian Wells Open court and his failure to create an entertaining final after his heavy defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.
Medvedev's winning streak was halted at 19 matches by the sensational Alcaraz, who claimed his third Masters 1000 title in style on Sunday.
Alcaraz won 6-3 6-2 in just 72 minutes to return to the summit of the ATP rankings, with Novak Djokovic having been unable to feature in the United States due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.
Medvedev had won three titles in a row – at the Rotterdam Open, Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships, where he beat Djokovic – ahead of competing at Indian Wells, yet proved no match for the imperious Alcaraz, who he had beaten in their only previous meeting, at Wimbledon in 2021.
The Russian had to overcome several hurdles to reach the final, having rolled his ankle in his fourth-round win over Alexander Zverev while he also hurt his thumb in a quarter-final defeat of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Yet despite the trials and tribulations, and his humbling loss in the final, Medvedev was in good spirits.
"I had a pretty toxic relationship here with the courts, a love-hate relationship," Medvedev chuckled. "So I'd like to thank the court!
"I only played on this court. I gave it a hard time so it gave me a hard time also. Rolled the ankle, the thumb... but it gave me the chance to finish the tournament.
"Thanks a lot to this court, I'll definitely be back.
"I really love this tournament, I'll be happy to come back many more years to come and hopefully I can start to love this court and Indian Wells together."
Addressing the crowd, Medvedev quipped: "Sorry I didn't make this final entertaining. I tried, I don't like to lose, but today was unfortunately pretty easy. I hope you still enjoyed it."
Alcaraz is one of only three players to hold a 100 per cent record in multiple ATP Masters 1000 finals, having now won in the finals of the Miami Open, Indian Wells Open and Madrid Open without dropping a set.
"I'd like to congratulate Carlos," said Medvedev. "You already have amazing achievements in your career and I'm sure many more to come.
"Today's one more of them, winning Indian Wells. I also dream of it – maybe next time you'll give me the chance!
"Congrats to you and your team. You're probably the most respectful player on Tour, you probably say hi to 300 people a day. I've rarely seen it!"
Alcaraz returned the plaudits, telling Medvedev he serves as an inspiration to be "better on the court and off the court".
"It has been a really amazing run here, such an amazing experience," the 19-year-old added.
When asked if he had played a near perfect match, Alcaraz told Amazon Prime: "Yes, probably. I played really, really well.
"I made no tactical mistakes, which is really important against Daniil. I would say I was perfect in that way.
"I'm really happy with the way I played, the trophy and of course to be world number one."
While Alcaraz will return to the top of the world on Monday, compatriot and idol Rafael Nadal is set to drop out of the top 10 for the first time since April 2005.
Alcaraz admits he was 'not up to the level' after defeat to Humbert
World number two Carlos Alcaraz admitted that he was "not up to the level" after a defeat to Ugo Humbert saw him crash out of the Paris Masters in the third round.
Humbert, ranked 18th in the world, posted a 6-1 3-6 7-5 win against the second seed in two hours 17 minutes to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event in the French capital.
"It was a very intense match. I started with some doubts about my game," said 21-year-old Alcaraz after the surprise defeat.
"Against a player who attacks whenever he can, who hits very aggressively at the slightest opportunity, it wasn't easy to get into the match.
"I was not up to the level he displayed. Ugo's performance was really high. The way he hits the ball is incredible."
Alcaraz had his sights set on a fifth title of the season in Paris but will move on to the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin next, with the season finale to be played from November 10 to 17.
Humbert, meanwhile, will continue his hunt in the Paris Masters as he preps up to battle Australia's Jordan Thompson for a spot in the semi-finals.
Alcaraz crashes out of Paris Masters after defeat to Humbert
World number two Carlos Alcaraz crashed out of the Paris Masters after an upset at the hands of 15th seed Ugo Humbert in the third round.
Alcaraz was aiming for a fifth title of the season in the French capital, but it was the world number 18 who emerged as 6-1 3-6 7-5 winner in two hours 17 minutes.
The Spaniard had no answer for Humbert in the first set, but fought back to level the proceedings in the second.
The third set was a tight affair, but it was 26-year-old Humbert who prevailed to take it 7-5 and reach the last eight at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Humbert, looking for his third title of the season, will next face Australia’s Jordan Thompson, who progressed to the quarter-final by defeating Adrian Mannarino.
Zverev progresses to Paris Masters last 16 after seeing off Griekspoor
Alexander Zverev progressed to the last 16 of the Paris Masters following a straight-sets victory over Tallon Griekspoor.
The Italian Open champion prevailed 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 after just over an hour-and-a-half at Accor Arena.
The opening set remained on serve and went to a tie-break, which Zverev subsequently dominated to draw first blood.
Runner-up to Daniil Medvedev in this ATP Masters event four years ago, the German crucially claimed the match's only break in game six of the second set.
Zverev then subsequently held out for victory to set up a last-16 clash with Arthur Fils, who defeated him in the Hamburg final earlier this season.
Data Debrief: Zverev gets his break
Zverev maintained his perfect record against Griekspoor in 2024, having now won all four of their meetings, but it was a contest of fine margins.
Indeed, Griekspoor was dominant on serve early on, losing just one of his opening 14 points. However, the only break point he faced was ruthlessly pounced upon by the German, who saved all three he faced.
Unforced errors were also crucial with Zverev committing just nine to his opponent's 17, and his quest for a second trophy of the season continues.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
