Daniil Medvedev is hoping to stay calm no matter what happens at Indian Wells after his 2023 run was marked by arguments with officials and gripes about the court.
In contrast to last season, Medvedev admits that he is less confident heading into the Indian Wells Master.
However, the Russian believes that he will have a more enjoyable time in California if he keeps his cool.
Daniil Medvedev noted that the courts appear to be playing a lot quicker than they did last term.
“I don’t know, I had a lot of confidence last year,” Medvedev said.
“I do have some this year, maybe a bit less because last year I won like three tournaments before this one.
“It was actually very surprising because first day, my first day I came here, I guess there was a sandstorm the day before I arrived. And so I went on centre court, and it was lightning fast, and I was like, wow, surprising. I loved it. And then the next day it became slow.
“So, let’s see, I’m, I’m definitely not gonna blame the court for anything that I do, which means play bad or good or lose or win., I’m gonna enjoy it here. I love it here. I’m gonna enjoy my time here and try to prolong it as much as possible,” he continued.
Daniil Medvedev believes that learning to roll with the changes in tennis is something that all players need to master.
“We always put a lot of questions in our heads. Sometimes it’s good, and sometimes it’s bad. That’s what I learned to love about tennis – is that it’s changing. For example, two weeks ago, I was hurting a little in my body here and there, and now it’s changed and I feel well here in Indian Wells. And I have more motivation and attention to what I can do on a tennis court than when I was coming to practice two weeks before… I’ve learned to enjoy the changes, and even if I don’t enjoy them, I try to think about better days ahead.”
In 2023, Medvedev allowed the state of the court to get him riled up.
He had an infamous altercation with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani.
“I’m gonna pee as slow as this court is. So you can take 25 minutes. The court is slow so I go slow, I take my time,” Medvedev told Lahyani.
“No, no, no, no, this is not a hard court, I know what is hard court, I’m a specialist, this is not a hard court,” Medvedev said.
“Should be banned from playing here. Freaking disgrace to the sport, this freaking court. And they call it hardcourts. What a shame to call this court a hardcourt. I’m going to toilet but I don’t care if you give me time violation. I am going to be as slow as these courts,” he added.
