"You know how tough it is playing against you, but I enjoy these battles" - Carlos Alcaraz addresses Daniil Medvedev after Indian Wells triumph

Carlos Alcaraz addressed Daniil Medvedev after winning the 2024 Indian Wells title.

On Sunday, March 17, Alcaraz defeated Medvedev 7-6(5), 6-1 in one hour and 42 minutes to successfully defend his BNP Paribas Open title. This title was his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title and his 13th tour-level title overall.

During the post-match trophy presentation, Carlos Alcaraz took a moment to address Daniil Medvedev. He congratulated the World No. 4 and praised him as a "hard worker," acknowledging the challenge of facing the Russian.

Alcaraz expressed his desire to compete in future finals against Medvedev and also extended his best wishes to the former World No. 1 and his team for the rest of the season.

“I want to congratulate Daniil [Medvedev] for sure. I think I’ve congratulated you a lot of times, but I’m sure I’m still doing so. You are a great hard worker; you know how tough it is playing against you. But I enjoy playing these kinds of matches, these battles against you. Hopefully, more finals are ahead. That means that I’m doing well, but for sure, you’re going to stay there. I mean, you and your team had a really good start to the year. Good luck for the rest of the season,” Alcaraz said (at 0:10).

Carlos Alcaraz also expressed his gratitude towards Indian Wells tournament director, former World No. 2 Tommy Haas, for organizing the BNP Paribas Open. He also shared his love for playing at Tennis Paradise, emphasizing that the "beautiful court" and the crowd support made him feel right at home.

“I would like to say thank you to Tommy [Haas] and to everyone who’s involved in this amazing tournament for making it so special. We wanna say many, many times that I feel like I’m playing at home for the tournament, for everyone. It’s amazing coming back here and playing on such a beautiful court, and I am enjoying every time that I come here. So thank you very much and congratulations,” he added (at 0:57).

Addressing the Indian Wells crowd, Alcaraz thanked them for their love and support, acknowledging that their encouragement motivated him to deliver his "best tennis" performance.

“Then I would like to say thank you to all of you. I mean, as we know, it's a really good tournament. I’m enjoying so much playing in front of you with so much energy. I mean, I felt the love from the first day until today. As I said, I love playing on this beautiful court in front of all of you. It has been really good tennis, I think, thanks. Thanks to you. Thanks to the energy that you bring to me. I could, you know, play my best tennis. And yeah, thank you. Thank you very much for all the support,” Carlos Alcaraz concluded (at 1:33).

Carlos Alcaraz: “I’m really, really happy to be able to win this tournament again”

During the post-match on-court interview following his victory over Daniil Medvedev at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open, Carlos Alcaraz expressed his happiness once again at claiming the Indian Wells trophy.

”As I said after every match, I was feeling better and better. I’m really, really happy to be able to win this tournament again,” Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz also talked about the confidence boost that comes with winning a Masters 1000 tournament, stating that it will set a positive tone for future tournaments. He also spoke about the influence the Indian Wells title win will have on his mentality while preparing for the upcoming Miami Open.

”Obviously winning tournaments helps a lot coming to to the next ones,” Alcaraz said. “Obviously winning a Masters 1000 again — it is a really difficult tournament to win — gives you extra motivation to keep going, extra confidence for Miami right now and for what's next. For me it's it's amazing to lift this amazing trophy again, a really beautiful one,” he added.

Last year, Carlos Alcaraz had a semifinals run at the Miami Open. He was defeated by Jannik Sinner 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 in the last four.