Carlos Alcaraz Responds to Daniil Medvedev’s Comments on him Having the Best Drop Shot in Tennis

Carlos Alcaraz will face Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells for the first time in almost two years.

Carlos Alcaraz Responds to Daniil Medvedev’s Comments on him Having the Best Drop Shot in Tennis

Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev (via X/Jose Morgado)

In Short
  • Carlos Alcaraz is undefeated this season, winning all 16 matches and two titles, including the Australian Open.
  • Daniil Medvedev has the most match wins on the ATP Tour this season and is confident heading into his semi-final against Alcaraz.
  • Alcaraz holds the highest success rate for drop shots in the men's circuit at 37.6 percent, despite praising other players' techniques.

Carlos Alcaraz is in his fourth consecutive Indian Wells semi-finals, where he will take on the in-form Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev is currently the player with the most match wins (17) in the ATP Tour this season and has lost just three matches in the process. The Russian star praised a particular aspect of Alcaraz’s game ahead of their clash, but the Spaniard was reluctant to accept it.

Alcaraz is currently the player to beat this season in the men’s circuit. He has never suffered a loss since the start of the year (even in exhibition tournaments). The 22-year-old has won all 16 matches and has won two titles, including the Australian Open, where he joined an elite group of those who have completed a career Grand Slam.

However, Alcaraz is known for his variety of shots and style of play. One of his major weapons on the court is the use of drop shots, which frustrates his opponents. Stats indicate that Alcaraz has the best drop shots in the men’s circuit. He holds a winning rate of 37.6 percent each time he hits a drop shot on the court.

Grigor Dimitrov comes second on the list with a 33.3 percent success rate, just ahead of the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who has 27.6 percent. Fourth on the list is Frenchman Corentin Moutet, who wins just 21.3 percent of his drop shots, despite using the tactics more frequently than the other three players.

Nonetheless, Djokovic, Dimitrov, and Moutet have all crashed out of the Indian Wells Masters. The only player who employs these tactics and is still competing at the Indian Wells Open is Alcaraz. His semi-final opponent, Medvedev, applauded him for using the tactics best suited to the court. But Alcaraz revealed during his press conference that Djokovic and Dimitrov use the drop shot technique better than him:

Well, the best dropshot… I have a few in mind. Obviously, [Corentin] Moutet, you know, is one of the best, or he has one of the best dropshots and one of the best touches, in general. But I love the [Novak] Djokovic dropshot. Djokovic’s backhand dropshot, I think, is a really good one. When he does it, it’s a really nice one. Apart from that, a couple of them, probably, [Grigor] Dimitrov has a good one. Great touch, as well. It’s the first players that come to my mind.

Alcaraz defeated Cameron Norrie in straight sets in the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells. Norrie had stunned the Spaniard in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters, but Alcaraz finally got his revenge. He has dropped just one set at the tournament, and that came in the third round against Arthur Rinderknech.

Daniil Medvedev believes he has a chance against Carlos Alcaraz at the Indian Wells Masters

Daniil Medvedev has been one of the surprising stars of the 2026 season. After having a bad form last season, tennis analysts and former players had written him off. But this year, he has won the Brisbane International and Dubai Tennis Championships. He and Carlos Alcaraz are the only players to win two tour-level titles this season.

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev (Image via X/Tiempo De Tenis)

The Russian star, who defeated Jack Draper in the last eight, faces a tough task heading into his third tour-level final of the season. He will face Alcaraz for the first time in almost two years on the court. During his press conference, he reiterated that he’s currently playing the best tennis of his career and has a good chance of upsetting Alcaraz:

I never want to jump into conclusions [and say it’s the] best tennis of my life or whatever. I’m playing very good. I feel like the court is a bit faster since the two times I have played him, so I feel like it’s a good chance to show my best tennis against him. But he’s the toughest opponent we have right now. Him and Jannik, maybe debatable as to who is the toughest.

Medvedev holds an underwhelming 2-6 head-to-head record against Alcaraz on the court. In their last meeting, Alcaraz won in straight sets at the 2024 China Open in Beijing. The World No.1 is currently seeking to win his third title at the California desert, while Medvedev aims to win his first ATP Masters 1000 title since the 2022 Italian Open.

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