Daniil Medvedev had a lot to be proud of over the past week, even if he fell short of the title. It’s not easy to come so close and walk away without the trophy.
That’s often how tennis works. There’s always one winner, and everyone else is left wondering what might have been.
But this situation feels different for Medvedev. He managed just one Grand Slam match win all season and wasn’t even in the conversation for most titles until October, when he finally snapped out of his rut.
That win ended an 882-day gap without a trophy, and it clearly gave him a lift heading into 2026.
This year, he’s already picked up two titles and just made it to a Masters 1000 final. Medvedev doesn’t look like a loser at all. If anything, his comeback story is just gaining momentum.
Martina Navratilova weighs in on Daniil Medvedev’s Indian Wells final defeat
Speaking on Sky Sports after the match, Martina Navratilova shared her thoughts on the final, focusing more on Medvedev’s overall play rather than just the result.
The match itself was tightly contested, with both sets decided by tiebreaks. Jannik Sinner ultimately came out on top, but the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion still found positives in Medvedev’s performance.
Navratilova said: “Overall, Daniil must be very happy with how he has played. If he keeps performing like this, he is in the conversation for a major. He will be one of the top four players, and he can hang tight with anybody if he can keep this up. There is no reason why not to. He is being more aggressive on his groundstrokes, and it’s working for him.”
She also spoke about how Carlos Alcaraz continues to shape Sinner’s development:
“They push each other, and they push other people to get better as well,” Navratilova noted.
“Daniil knew that. He knew he had to be more aggressive because the way he used to play would not beat these guys, so everybody’s level goes up. And everyone else goes this is what I need to do to beat them.”
Earlier in the day, Navratilova had also been courtside for the women’s final between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.
Daniil Medvedev is ready to push the world’s top two
While rankings might suggest otherwise, Novak Djokovic has held a firm grip on that title for some time. However, Medvedev’s performance at Indian Wells could signal a shift.
This was his third final in as many months, and he took down Carlos Alcaraz along the way – no small feat given the Spaniard’s form early in the season.
Alcaraz came into that match 16-0 on the year, but Medvedev snapped that streak before pushing Sinner across two tight sets in the final.
He looks more than ready to mix it up with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the top. The challenge now is turning consistency into titles and cementing his place among tennis’s elite once again.
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