The Daniil Medvedev and Learner Tien doubles team is eliminated way too soon at Indian Wells

The highly anticipated Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open men’s doubles team of Daniil Medvedev and Learner Tien unfortunately lost in the first round.

The friendly foes have played each other four times in the span of a year with Tien winning three of the matches.

Daniil Medvedev and Learner Tien have spoken highly of each other in their frequent postmatch press conferences so fans were thrilled to see them team up for Indian Wells.

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It’s a miracle Daniil Medvedev and Learner Tien played at all

While they were one and done at Indian Wells, many thought they may not play at all. Medvedev, the Dubai Open champion, was stuck in Dubai due to the Middle East tensions. He was not able to play in the Eisenhower Cup mixed doubles exhibition that kicked off the BNP Paribas Open.

Learner Tien was playing doubles shortly after a difficult and physical win against Ben Shelton. While he remained composed in the blistering heat on court, he cramped up while at the Tennis Channel desk after the match. At that point, there were concerns if he would be able to play.

Daniil Medvedev and Learner Tien did not get to practice together, and at one point, Tien said that he had not even seen Medvedev at Indian Wells yet.

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The duo should run it back at another tournament in better conditions. However, Tien’s coach, 1989 French Open champion Michael Chang, may not be a fan of the idea, wanting to preserve his player’s energy and focus on his increasingly successful singles career.

On the opposite sides of the draw, the two still have a chance to meet in singles, if both make it to the Indian Wells final.

In doubles, tennis fans can still look forward to watching the equally fascinating teams of Jannik Sinner and Reilly Opelka and Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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