Daniill Medvedev 'exhausted' after shock Indian Wells loss to Grigor Dimitrov and may miss Kremlin Cup in Moscow
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Updated 14/10/2021 at 11:16 GMT
World No 2 Daniil Medvedev suffered a surprise last-16 exit at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells as he was beaten by Grigor Dimitrov, having led 4-1 in the second set. The Russian was playing his first tournament since winning the US Open and has admitted he became "tired" and may review his plans for his next tournament.
”I really had to go for it” Dimitrov upsets US Open champion at Indian Wells
Daniil Medvedev says he is unsure if he will be fit to play in the Kremlin Cup in his home country of Russia as he was “exhausted” at Indian Wells.
Medvedev crashed out of the ATP Masters 1000 event at the last-16 stage after blowing a 6-4 4-1 lead against Grigor Dimitrov.
It was Medvedev’s first tournament since he won his maiden Grand Slam at the US Open and he was on a nine-match winning run.
He is scheduled to play in Moscow next week, which would be his first appearance in the Russian capital since 2018, but he is now set to review his plans.
“It’s my hometown, so I wanted to give myself at least a chance to sign (up), and this time I’m in the draw,” he said about the Kremlin Cup.
“The deadline is Friday. To be honest, I did feel exhausted at this tournament and there were a few things coming up during the tournament in terms of my physical condition. I’m going to see in the next few days after this tough match if I’m going to be able to compete in Moscow, which I really want to do but I need to take care of my body.”
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Dimitrov battles back from a set down to stun top seed Medvedev at Indian Wells
If Medvedev doesn’t play in Moscow he will likely instead focus on the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals, where he is the defending champion at both events.
Medvedev had won 18 of his past 19 matches in North America before losing to Dimitrov, who reeled off eight games in a row as he roared back to win 4-6 6-4 6-3.
“He definitely flipped the switch,” said Medvedev. “I did become a little more tired maybe, and at the same time, it’s not that I started missing everything and like really playing bad. I still maintained some level, so many matches it would be enough to finish the match.
“About Grigor, I have not much to say. He played the second part of the match better than anybody did against me in the US Open that I won. So playing this level, I don’t see him losing to anybody, but let’s see the result.”
It is the first time Dimitrov has beaten a top-two player since 2016 and he next gets eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals.
“I am happy that I get the opportunity to play again at this level,” said the Bulgarian. “There were lots of ups and downs and you never know what is going to happen, so I am really trying to be appreciative of the moment I get to be out here on the court and work and stay humble. That is the only thing you can control.
“He is such a tough player and competitor. Over the past year, I have played him a few times and haven’t been able to find a way. But today, I just felt something at 1-4 and I calmed myself down and started to take better decisions and started to control the pace of the game, which I really believed helped me. In the end it was just very solid and smart play.”
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