Tennis is a s***t sport, Daniil Medvedev fuming with Xrated words in Indian wells

Daniil Medvedev did not hold back from voicing his frustrations during his Indian Wells final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.

The world number four raged about his sport after missing an opportunity to break back in the first set tie-break, which he then went on to lose.

Medvedev has not been shy in his sharing his thoughts on some of the sport’s biggest issuesCredit: AFP

Trailing 3-2 on Alcaraz’s serve in the first-set decider, Medvedev returned his opponent’s backhand which initially appeared to be out of play, before the Spaniard wrapped up the point later in the rally.

While the shot was later shown to have been in, the Russian star was disappointed at being unable to watch the Hawk Eye technology confirming this, as he had not challenged the line call at the time and continued playing.

Walking over to his chair, Medvedev was unable to contain his frustration, ranting: “Tennis is such a s*** sport!”

The 28-year-old’s misery would only grow after this, as he was ultimately beaten 7-6 (7) 6-1 by Alcaraz, having suffered the same fate at the hands of the Spaniard in last year’s final.

‘I didn’t hear you say sorry’ – Daniil Medvedev demands apology from rival in tense moment

After the match however, Medvedev was quick to clarify that his on-court outburst had been an overreaction.

Speaking in his post-match press conference he said: “There are many small things [I would change] about tennis, but I was definitely exaggerating because I love tennis.

“I’m gonna continue playing it, but when you’re not happy sometimes you say stupid things.”

Despite missing out on the title, the 2021 US Open champion revealed he was pleased with his overall performance in the match.

Medvedev shared his thoughts: “Today, the first thing I asked myself in the locker room was I don’t feel I have any regrets.

” ‘Do you have any regrets?’ My coach said. Yeah, we can talk about one shot here and there, but in general the match was not bad. He’s playing good.”

Alcaraz delivered a dominant display in Indian Wells as he brushed past MedvedevCredit: Getty

He added that he hoped his final defeat would follow a similar pattern to last year, where after falling at the final hurdle to Alcaraz in Indian Wells, he went on to win the subsequent Miami Open.

Medvedev joked: “But I’m happy, last time I managed to do it [reach the final], I won Miami, so that’s what I’m going to try to do.”

For his tour rival however, victory at the event dubbed ‘Tennis Paradise’ represented a first tournament win since his stunning Wimbledon victory over Novak Djokovic in July 2023.

Alcaraz admitted that his latest success tasted all the more sweeter after struggling with confidence and injury problems in recent months, having only just returned from an ankle injury sustained at the Rio Open in February.

When asked about the importance of his Indian Wells win, the 20-year-old gave an emotional response:  “It’s difficult to put it into words because I had a really difficult [few] months.

“Let’s say the last two months it was difficult for me to find myself, I didn’t enjoy stepping on the court. I wasn’t myself on the court the last two months, three months.”

He continued: “It was difficult for me, and even more difficult after Rio de Janeiro, I twisted my ankle. So it has been a really difficult [few] weeks after that.

“It means a lot to me lifting this trophy, winning this tournament, because I overcame a lot of problems in my head, a lot of problems physically.”