Alcaraz living rent-free in Medvedev’s head as Russian obsessed with revenge

Daniil Medvedev admitted he thinks about Carlos Alcaraz during his practice sessions and is desperate for a shot at revenge. The world No 3 has faced the Spaniard twice this year and lost on both occasions. The pair could meet in the final of next week’s Cincinnati Open if they both make it that far and the world No 1 is already in Medvedev’s head. 

Back in 2021, Medvedev got a routine straight-set victory over an 18-year-old rising star at Wimbledon – world No 75 Alcaraz. The Spaniard went on to become the world No 1 and a Grand Slam champion just 14 months later. And since then, Medvedev hasn’t beaten him.

The 20-year-old is 2-0 against the Russian this year, defeating him in the final of the Indian Wells Masters before downing him in last month’s Wimbledon semi-final. Medvedev hasn’t even taken a set off the world No 1 and Alcaraz has since been invading his thoughts as he plots his revenge. 

Ahead of the Cincinnati Open – where Medvedev and Alcaraz are in opposite halves of the draw – the world No 3 said: “It’s always a balance because every time I practice from now on, I can be thinking that it’s Carlos on the other side, so what should I do?”

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On top of thinking about Alcaraz during his practice sessions, the 20-time title winner admitted that he was also preparing to face Alcaraz even when there were other opponents in the way of a potential showdown. “The other question is that to get to Carlos, it will probably be the semis or final,” he explained.

“And so you need to beat other guys before and I’m not sure if I would play them like I would play Carlos. With Carlos, you have to take a little more risk, but with other guys, I’m not sure. So, it’s always a balance so it’s not like, you’re only thinking about Carlos but then you lose in the first round and you’re thinking, ‘Well, at least I was prepared for Carlos!’”

Medvedev wasn’t just thinking about Alcaraz from the perspective of a rival as he also confessed to watching his matches like a regular tennis fan instead of analysing them. The 27-year-old added: “When he plays and we’re sitting in a restaurant looking, we’re not discussing too much like, ‘Did you see this?’

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“We’re more like fans, looking, and seeing what happens. For example, Tommy Paul, it wasn’t the first time he brought trouble to Carlos, so it can be interesting to see what he does.”

While Medvedev is preparing to exact his revenge on Alcaraz after two one-sided defeats this season, he will first have to focus on either Dan Evans or Lorenzo Musetti. The world No 3 has a bye to the second round where he meets the winner of their clash.

He is also in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic, meaning they could meet in the semi-final if they both make it that far. And even if Medvedev loses early, it seems he’s safe in the knowledge that he was prepared for Alcaraz regardless.

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