By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, March 6, 2024
A mirage maker on court docket, Daniil Medvedev confronted desert deception in his Indian Wells return this week.
“First day I got here right here I assume there was a sandstorm the day earlier than I arrived so I went on heart court docket it was lightning quick and I used to be like ‘Whoah, shocking I like it’,” Medvedev advised the media in his BNP Paribas Open pre-tournament presser. “Then the following day it turned gradual. So let’s see.
“I’m undoubtedly not going guilty the court docket for something I do which implies play dangerous or play good or lose or win. I’m gonna take pleasure in it right here. I like it right here I’m gonna take pleasure in my time right here and attempt to extend it so long as attainable.”
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Branding himself a “onerous court docket specialist”, Medvedev spent bruising matches exploring his dysfunctional relationship with the purple Indian Wells court docket throughout his run to the 2023 last.
Medvedev withstood a sprained proper ankle and Alexander Zverev 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5 then fended off Frances Tiafoe for his nineteenth consecutive victory to succeed in his maiden Indian Wells last falling to Carlos Alcaraz final March.
A distinction within the 2024 model of the artist referred to as Meddy Bear: Medvedev employed former nemesis Gilles Simon to affix long-time coach Gilles Cervara on his teaching crew.
Although Simon isn’t in Indian Wells this week, he was in Dubai final month as Medvedev, in his first match since reaching the Australian Open last, reached the semifinal.
Whereas the pair haven’t any formal contract, Medvedev stated the plan is for Simon to journey about three months this season and he’s hopeful will probably be a long-term partnership.
“We’re not gonna journey an excessive amount of however some tournaments right here and there most likely one thing like 13 or 14 weeks on tour which isn’t a foul quantity,” Medvedev stated. “We didn’t repair something. We didn’t say: ‘We’re gonna work for one yr and see the way it goes?’ We see the way it goes and if tomorrow him or me says it doesn’t work out we cease.
“To date it has been working nice. He tries some extra issues. If you happen to take somebody it’s not simply to maintain it the way in which it’s, it’s so as to add some small particulars and we do attempt to add them. I’m positive it’s going to be attention-grabbing to see them through the matches I did somethings already in Dubai, but it surely takes time it’s going to take time. It’s attention-grabbing, I prefer it up to now. Hopefully we are able to maintain it collectively for fairly a very long time, however let’s see the way it goes.”
The 39-year-old Simon received three of 4 profession conferences in opposition to Medvedev, with the three victories approaching three totally different surfaces.
Former US Open champion Medvedev advised Tennis Now’s Chris Oddo, Simon’s success in opposition to him was a place to begin in pursuing the Frenchman as coach. Medvedev stated Simon’s court docket sense, analytical expertise and his capability to clarify precisely why issues are taking place on court docket had been all key elements of the rent.
“The precise story [of how we partnered] I’m gonna maintain it to myself, it’s kind of private,” Medvedev advised TN’s Chris Oddo. “At one second I used to be pondering of including somebody to the crew, first to interchange Gilles Cervara when he’s not right here on the tour And I used to be like why if i need to exchange him i need to most likely add somebody who can assist me to turn out to be a greater participant on the court docket.
“I considered Gilles [Simon] as a result of he by some means knew find out how to play me. That is The factor: I hated to play him. As a result of after I’m on the court docket he knew what I’m gonna do and he knew find out how to beat me which I really feel prefer it’s not a simple process. I managed to beat quite a lot of gamers so I used to be like a minimum of that’s the very first thing.”
Of their time working collectively, Medvedev stated he’s impressed by how effectively Simon articulates what he intuits on court docket.
“He can inform what he did and we are able to work on it. So if somebody performs precisely like him I’m going to know what to do and the way I can do higher in my weak spots,” Medvedev stated. “In order that was type of the principle factor about it. And for positive after we began working collectively I noticed he understands many many issues about tennis, which we—many tennis gamers—don’t give it some thought.
“I by no means considered it myself as somebody who thinks so much on the court docket. However really quite a lot of that is extra feeling it, which can be type of pondering, however extra feeling it. He can clarify with phrases why he sees one factor on the tennis court docket which may be very powerful and one thing most likely most of tennis gamers can not do.”
Picture credit score: Matthew Calvis
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