Alcaraz Tipped to Beat Grand Slam Record by Medvedev
ATP
Daniil Medvedev had plenty of praise for his upcoming final opponent at the Indian Wells Open. The Russian player thinks Carlos Alcaraz will break the record of Grand Slam titles won.
Medvedev is currently on a 19-match winning streak. He won the titles in Rotterdam, Doha, and Dubai, and he now has a chance to win his fourth consecutive trophy. But the phenomenon of recent months, Carlos Alcaraz, will stand in his way in the final.
The 19-year-old Spaniard beat 11th-seeded Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the tournament, while Medvedev bested 14th-seeded Frances Tiafoe to set up the final meeting.
Ahead of the final, Medvedev spoke about his upcoming opponent, and he recognized all of the strengths that Alcaraz has. At the same time, he is aware that the teenager is still prone to making many unforced errors.
"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."
Like most of the tennis world, Medvedev witnessed Alcaraz beating Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal back-to-back at the Madrid Open last year, so he's aware of what the Spaniard is capable of.
"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."
Before the Big Three, no other man managed to win 20 Grand Slam titles. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic all achieved that, and Medvedev thinks that Alcaraz might be able to join them in the future.
"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."
"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."
