Jannik Sinner has reflected on defeating Daniil Medvedev to secure his maiden Indian Wells title and declared that “tennis needs” the Russian star.
The world No 2 prevailed 7-6(6), 7-6(4) against 11th seed Medvedev in a fiercely contested Indian Wells championship match lasting an hour and 55 minutes.
There were no breaks of serve in the match, and Sinner won seven consecutive points to seal victory having trailed 0-4 in the second set tiebreak.
Sinner has now won all six of the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments played on hard courts, which is a feat Medvedev was also chasing.
Here is everything Sinner said in his post-match press conference.
Q. By winning this, you are also unlocking all six ATP Masters 1000 titles on hard court. How does it feel to get this?
SINNER: Yeah, it feels amazing. Great achievement. Was a very tough match today, so I’m very happy how I handle the situation on the court. It’s great to see Daniil back playing this level. Yeah, and I’m very, very happy.
Q. It seems ridiculous to talk about you being short of titles, having won the last three events of last year, but can you describe your feelings of not just winning here, but getting the first title of 2026, what that means to you and what sort of momentum it might give you?
SINNER: Yeah, I don’t know. I’m very happy, still great results, playing semis of a Grand Slam. And after Australia, this one was again the first big tournament. I’m very happy. Obviously it was a great week. You know, we tried to come here very early. I knew that this was a tournament I haven’t won, so I wanted to come here and prepare it in the best possible way, as professional as possible. Yeah, having now this achievement means a lot to me. Now I have couple of days to relax and, you know, there is not so much time in between here and Miami. So it’s again an important tournament in Miami, but we try to play the best tennis possible there too, and then we see how it goes.
Q. I wanted to ask you a little about the match and specifically about Daniil. Carlos [Alcaraz] was really surprised by him yesterday, said he was more aggressive. I don’t know if that’s what you saw out there, but he’s clearly playing a lot better than he has in recent months. Wondered what your take is, the improvements he made, and if there was anything surprising that you saw from him?
SINNER: No, I feel like he’s playing great, great tennis. He was very confident, you know, winning already couple of titles this year, and, you know, coming here, and then performing very, very well. We don’t have to forget he’s a Grand Slam champion, you know, and that’s for a reason. He played great tennis, serving very well, and I struggled to return, especially on the second serve return. But I do believe that tennis needs him. He’s a very unique style of playing. Seeing him back at this level, it’s great. He’s improving a lot. Very aggressive player at the end. He has two different game styles when he serves and when he returns. So, you know, you have to face that. Yeah, it’s great for the sport having him again playing this level.
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Q. Is there a level of pride to have come through in those kind of conditions? It looked pretty brutal out there with the heat. You see the fans with towels on their heads, covering up. I’m sure for you guys it couldn’t have been easy.
SINNER: Yeah, it was hot, it was warm, but it was not humid, so it makes a big difference. But, look, I have been here a week before the tournament started. Was very similar conditions as it was today. We put in very long days of practice. I felt very well prepared, so I was not having big issues with the weather and with the heat, which is very positive for me. But, yeah, look, it’s all part of the process we are trying to do and becoming the best possible athlete. We do definitely a lot of work in the gym and to play this level. So I’m very happy.
Q. Jannik, when you’re talking about sort of the rest of the season, I know you’re looking at the things you haven’t won yet. Obviously this tournament was one of them. How much do you sort of focus at all on your planning about Roland Garros and looking ahead to that? Or are you completely putting that out of your mind at this stage of the year?
SINNER: No, I mean, first of all, Roland Garros is very long way. There are big, big tournaments. I know what’s also on the line, you know, before that. I’m very focused already for Miami, as I said. Now, a couple of days, it’s good also to not think about tennis so much, but, you know, when you have this rhythm, I also don’t want to lose it, you know. It’s very important now. Miami, it’s going to be very important. That’s the last hard court event before the clay starts. And after, we are back in Europe, completely different conditions, clay, and you never know what’s happening there. I’m looking forward to it. We will try to perform in the best possible way and then we see how it goes.
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