Daniil Medvedev gives honest answer on Jannik Sinner’s ban being potentially ‘favorable’ for him

Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev played each other six times on the ATP tour in 2024, wit the Russian winning only once.

Daniil Medvedev gives honest answer on Jannik Sinner’s ban being potentially ‘favorable’ for him

Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner (via X)

Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev is steadily making progress at Indian Wells and appears to be gaining confidence. However, some believe this is partly due to the absence of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is currently serving a ban.

Medvedev, who held the World No. 1 ranking as recently as 2022, shared his thoughts on his recent resurgence in light of Sinner’s ban. He remained diplomatic, stating that the Italian posed challenges not only for him but for the entire ATP circuit.

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It depends, because overall, the absence of Sinner, who probably wins every other tournament lately, maybe even a little bit more, is certainly favorable in terms of results for everyone on the tour, not just me, literally everyone. At the same time, given my recent results, I’m not worried about Sinner, because in the last few tournaments I didn’t even play him because I wasn’t far enough away to do it. So it depends. But I like what Carlos (Alcaraz) said, that the most important thing is to look at yourself, try to do what you do best, to win matches. If you play against Sinner, you try to win, if you play against someone else, you try to win, and that’s the most important thing.

Daniil Medvedev in an interview to Arab News

Medvedev and Sinner have developed an intriguing rivalry on the ATP Tour. Although Sinner leads their head-to-head record 8-7, their battles go beyond just numbers.

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Medvedev dominated their early meetings, winning their first six matches. However, Sinner has since turned the tide, winning eight of their last nine encounters. The only exception was their Wimbledon 2024 quarterfinal, where Medvedev triumphed in five sets.

Jannik Sinner set to make history as World No.1 despite ban

Jannik Sinner is making history despite his suspension from tennis. He became the first Italian man to reach world No. 1 in singles last summer. Now, he has spent 40 weeks at the top, becoming only the 16th man to achieve this milestone. His ranking is set to rise even further when he returns in May.

Jannik Sinner (7)
Jannik Sinner (Image via X)

Sinner is the 29th player to hold the ATP No. 1 ranking in the past 52 years. His 40 weeks at the top place him 15th on the all-time list. He has already surpassed 13 players, including top stars like Carlos Alcaraz, who held the top spot for 36 weeks. He has also overtaken Daniil Medvedev, Boris Becker, and Andy Roddick.

Next week, Sinner will move ahead of Ilie Nastase, the ATP’s first-ever world No. 1. He will then tie with Andy Murray at 41 weeks before surpassing him. Soon after, he will match Gustavo Kuerten’s 43 weeks at No. 1. In just one month, he will jump from 15th to 12th place in history.

Sinner’s rapid rise shows his dominance in men’s tennis. If he continues at this pace, he could climb even higher. His return in May could see him extend his record further. The tennis world is eager to see how far he can go.

Daniil Medvedev reaches Indian Wells quarterfinals

Daniil Medvedev dominated Tommy Paul at the BNP Paribas Open, winning 6-4, 6-0. The match was delayed for nearly four hours due to rain. Medvedev started strong, lost some momentum, but quickly took control again. Paul struggled with errors, making it easier for Medvedev to secure the win.

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev (via X)

This victory sends Medvedev to the semi-finals in Indian Wells for the third year in a row. He has finished as the runner-up in the last two years. Currently ranked No. 6, this was his first match against a Top 20 player this season. He now has a 4-1 record against Paul.

Medvedev was highly efficient, converting six of eight break points. He took advantage of Paul’s 31 unforced errors. This win marks his 80th tour-level quarter-final and his 22nd at the ATP Masters 1000 level. In the next round, he will face Arthur Fils.

Fils secured his spot in the quarter-finals by defeating Marcos Giron 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. This is his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. He is also the second player born in 2004 or later to reach this stage at a Masters 1000 event, following Jakub Mensik’s run in Shanghai last year.