Indian Wells 2024 Final: Alcaraz (2) vs Medvedev (4)

Who wins?


  • Total voters
    76
  • Poll closed .

tennis24x7

Hall of Fame
Anyone with a working conscience and a bit of taste would dislike Medvedev and want to see him pummeled whenever possible. Simply a loss is not enough, seeing his suffering and humiliation is the key.

Didn’t get to watch it live but it seems to me one scintillating set and two fun, but patchy, error-strewn and ultimately lopsided ones. I do think that’s the best matchup on Tour right now.
Agreed what he did to Zverev in Monte Carlo especially when Zed was coming off the injury was next level bad so karma will continue to bite Med's ass
 

TheRed

Hall of Fame
Anyone with a working conscience and a bit of taste would dislike Medvedev and want to see him pummeled whenever possible. Simply a loss is not enough, seeing his suffering and humiliation is the key.

Didn’t get to watch it live but it seems to me one scintillating set and two fun, but patchy, error-strewn and ultimately lopsided ones. I do think that’s the best matchup on Tour right now.
I agree. It was a fascinating and enjoyable match if you are more than just a tennis spectator. Sinner looked invincible in the first set and to watch Alcaraz make the adjustments and have the tools to change strategies made for a very enjoyable match. Alcaraz is no slouch when it comes to power and weapons but these days, it seems no one can keep up with Sinner in a slugfest. What makes Sinner such an incredible player, especially for being so young, is that he's such an incredible returner. In some ways, he's better than Djokovic because he's more aggressive while still being very consistent. Alcaraz made the adjustment, changed speeds and was more judicious in unloading on his forehand. He wasn't simply hitting loopy shots. It's like a power pitcher mixing in off speed pitches, making his fastball look even faster when he decides to unload.
The strategy worked in part because Alcaraz has the tools to implement it. Raz's forehand looks identical whether he spins or flattens it and he has the natural power to bother Sinner when he does decide to unload on his forehand. He's also excellent defensively and one of the best, if not the best, at the net amongst the singles players. Essentially, he tapped into the one clear advantage he has over Sinner - his variety. A guy like DeMinaur can't use such a strategy because he doesn't possess the heavy spin forehand or the power.

However, I like Medvedev. He doesn't mind being the bad guy and tennis needs more personalities. He's not fake nice like Djokovic either. In fact, he's more fake bad because other than the occasional moments that he tries to annoy everyone, he's funny, respectful and a bit unfiltered.
 

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
It seems to me that Alcaraz is the best of players under 30. At only 20, he has more slams than: Medvedev, Zverev, Tsitsipas, Sinner, Rublev, Thiem. I think only Zverev has as many masters titles as Carlos, or at least close.
And he's been ranked #1 for 20 weeks total (so far) and the youngest #1 ranked player in the Open era.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
...I'm sure Paul/Alcaraz would've given us a much better final...
This! I think Paul would have given us a much more interesting match vs Alcaraz. And I'm pretty sure he would have beaten Medvedev if he wasn't injured (either in that 2nd set tiebreak, or in the 3rd).

He had me until he did the ear point. I can figure out when to clap myself.
Yes! This has to be one of the most painful things we are seeing more and more of lately. Sinner doesn't do it much, but I don't like when he does (and it seem unnatural to him), but Alcaraz is worse, and Rune worse still. Even Novak does it a bunch. Dudes, just pump your fists after the point and if the crowd wants to give an extra big/long cheer, they will. Otherwise it screams out, "I'm desperate for you to like me," which is just sad...

Agreed what he did to Zverev in Monte Carlo especially when Zed was coming off the injury was next level bad so karma will continue to bite Med's ass
What? Zverev deserves EVERYTHING that comes his way, and then some. And what was so bad about what Medvedev did? Plenty of guys on tour are doing things like that. What Rune did to Sinner was MUCH worse, btw, when he hit him twice with balls after the points had stopped, and then refused to apologize.
 

tennis24x7

Hall of Fame
This! I think Paul would have given us a much more interesting match vs Alcaraz. And I'm pretty sure he would have beaten Medvedev if he wasn't injured (either in that 2nd set tiebreak, or in the 3rd).


Yes! This has to be one of the most painful things we are seeing more and more of lately. Sinner doesn't do it much, but I don't like when he does (and it seem unnatural to him), but Alcaraz is worse, and Rune worse still. Even Novak does it a bunch. Dudes, just pump your fists after the point and if the crowd wants to give an extra big/long cheer, they will. Otherwise it screams out, "I'm desperate for you to like me," which is just sad...


What? Zverev deserves EVERYTHING that comes his way, and then some. And what was so bad about what Medvedev did? Plenty of guys on tour are doing things like that. What Rune did to Sinner was MUCH worse, btw, when he hit him twice with balls after the points had stopped, and then refused to apologize.
This was not hitting, watch break point you will see. He even pulled a toiletpas, pulled the stake that holds the net up for singles.
 
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This is wrong. Nadal v Djokovic is 11-7 not 9-6. Also Djokovic v Federer needs more analysis as post 2012 i dont think it can be said it was peak Federer as he would have been well into his 30s.
 
And he's been ranked #1 for 20 weeks total (so far) and the youngest #1 ranked player in the Open era.
Alcaraz suffered (and it will benefit his career so credit to his team for giving him space) a hangover of ecstacy after W which at 19/20 years old is totally understandable. In truth he could easily have won FO last year (Djokovic was on fumes after the 2nd set) and the USO last year had he not had cramps in the body in paris and in the brain v medvedev at the USO where he got too complacent. Dont think he would have won the AO this season though, the right guy won there.
Moving forward i think we can hand Alcaraz the FO now, nobody bar sinner will get close to him and even Sinner will likely get routined eventually. The USO i think he will win as well as i think he may break the record of 5 titles there as he loves New york. Wimbledon i can see Sinner taking his crown as his game is suited to grass more i think.
Rune needs to dump Mouratogalou. That will not work at all. Talent wise Rune has it all, but mentally he is still immature.
Looking further forward i actually see Rune v Alcaraz as the rivalry as i think both have more variety than Sinner and better natural skills.
Tennis is safe for 15 years though. We now have some serious ATG potential players. I never ever felt that with Zverev Medvedev and Tsitsipas.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
This was not hitting, watch break point you will see. He even pulled a toiletpas, pulled the stake that holds the net up for singles.
What do you mean, it was not hitting? And Med pulling out the stake of the net is actually pretty funny. He is resorting to the mind-games that the rules seem to allow, and I have no problem with him doing it against Zverev. Against other guys, it's a bit of a different story, but some guys seem to deserve it (including Rune).

It was actually refreshing and nice that nobody took a break after the 2nd set of the IW semi-final between Alcaraz and Sinner. In hindsight, and in the moment, it probably would have been good for Sinner to take the long "toilet break," as he started the third set on the back foot, just as the second had ended, but Sinner is too respectful and has too much sportsmanship for that.

Alcaraz suffered (and it will benefit his career so credit to his team for giving him space) a hangover of ecstacy after W which at 19/20 years old is totally understandable. In truth he could easily have won FO last year (Djokovic was on fumes after the 2nd set) and the USO last year had he not had cramps in the body in paris and in the brain v medvedev at the USO where he got too complacent. Dont think he would have won the AO this season though, the right guy won there.
Moving forward i think we can hand Alcaraz the FO now, nobody bar sinner will get close to him and even Sinner will likely get routined eventually. The USO i think he will win as well as i think he may break the record of 5 titles there as he loves New york. Wimbledon i can see Sinner taking his crown as his game is suited to grass more i think.
Rune needs to dump Mouratogalou. That will not work at all. Talent wise Rune has it all, but mentally he is still immature.
Looking further forward i actually see Rune v Alcaraz as the rivalry as i think both have more variety than Sinner and better natural skills.
Tennis is safe for 15 years though. We now have some serious ATG potential players. I never ever felt that with Zverev Medvedev and Tsitsipas.
Lot's of hypotheticals and recency bias here. I don't see how you can say that a guy that lost in the semis, to the guy that eventually lost in the final, could have "easily" won the USO last year. Especially since he would have faced Novak, who had just reclaimed his territory at Cincy a few weeks before.

Have people already forgotten that, prior to the last few matches at IW, Alcaraz was still considered lost/hungover from Wimbledon? He hadn't done much of anything since then, and while winning a Masters 1000 is good, we still don't know if he is fully back to form, or if he can maintain the form. Or perhaps, as some seem to think, maybe this is the time of year where he ramps up his "medicinal" preparation.

Lastly, not sure if you can say that Rune "has it all" talent wise, as having a strong mental game is a "talent" in tennis. And that is something where both Alcaraz and Sinner seem several steps ahead of him.
 
What do you mean, it was not hitting? And Med pulling out the stake of the net is actually pretty funny. He is resorting to the mind-games that the rules seem to allow, and I have no problem with him doing it against Zverev. Against other guys, it's a bit of a different story, but some guys seem to deserve it (including Rune).

It was actually refreshing and nice that nobody took a break after the 2nd set of the IW semi-final between Alcaraz and Sinner. In hindsight, and in the moment, it probably would have been good for Sinner to take the long "toilet break," as he started the third set on the back foot, just as the second had ended, but Sinner is too respectful and has too much sportsmanship for that.


Lot's of hypotheticals and recency bias here. I don't see how you can say that a guy that lost in the semis, to the guy that eventually lost in the final, could have "easily" won the USO last year. Especially since he would have faced Novak, who had just reclaimed his territory at Cincy a few weeks before.

Have people already forgotten that, prior to the last few matches at IW, Alcaraz was still considered lost/hungover from Wimbledon? He hadn't done much of anything since then, and while winning a Masters 1000 is good, we still don't know if he is fully back to form, or if he can maintain the form. Or perhaps, as some seem to think, maybe this is the time of year where he ramps up his "medicinal" preparation.

Lastly, not sure if you can say that Rune "has it all" talent wise, as having a strong mental game is a "talent" in tennis. And that is something where both Alcaraz and Sinner seem several steps ahead of him.
Agree about Rune and the mental aspect. He has to sort that side of his game out, problem is he now has the absolutely wrong coach to help him.
As for Alcaraz, had he beat Medvedev, as he should have done had he not clowned around in the first set, he would have beat Djokovic in the final. No way Djokovic can beat Alcaraz over 5 sets as he just wouldnt have the stamina to cope with the Alcaraz game past the 3 hour mark in a slam final. Cincinatti is totally different, best of 3 sets and lets be honest, little pressure mentally compared to a slam final.
Sinner literally collapsed physically the other night the moment Alcaraz turned it physical, medvedev simililarly. Alcaraz is a beast physically and he can wear everyone down when he plays more attritionally. His issue is he can play a more expansive attractive game which is how he would prefer to play but that means way more UFEs and makes him more vulnerable if he is slightly off it.
Alcaraz has just brutalised Zverev Sinner and Medvedev in a row by going more spinny and attritional. Its actually frightening what he could become.
 

TheRed

Hall of Fame
What do you mean, it was not hitting? And Med pulling out the stake of the net is actually pretty funny. He is resorting to the mind-games that the rules seem to allow, and I have no problem with him doing it against Zverev. Against other guys, it's a bit of a different story, but some guys seem to deserve it (including Rune).

It was actually refreshing and nice that nobody took a break after the 2nd set of the IW semi-final between Alcaraz and Sinner. In hindsight, and in the moment, it probably would have been good for Sinner to take the long "toilet break," as he started the third set on the back foot, just as the second had ended, but Sinner is too respectful and has too much sportsmanship for that.


Lot's of hypotheticals and recency bias here. I don't see how you can say that a guy that lost in the semis, to the guy that eventually lost in the final, could have "easily" won the USO last year. Especially since he would have faced Novak, who had just reclaimed his territory at Cincy a few weeks before.

Have people already forgotten that, prior to the last few matches at IW, Alcaraz was still considered lost/hungover from Wimbledon? He hadn't done much of anything since then, and while winning a Masters 1000 is good, we still don't know if he is fully back to form, or if he can maintain the form. Or perhaps, as some seem to think, maybe this is the time of year where he ramps up his "medicinal" preparation.

Lastly, not sure if you can say that Rune "has it all" talent wise, as having a strong mental game is a "talent" in tennis. And that is something where both Alcaraz and Sinner seem several steps ahead of him.
It isn't just mental. Rune mishits about 1/3 of his forehands. They don't all go out, but for about 1/3 of his forehands, he's not hitting it the way he'd like. His forehand is too stiff, his elbow too low at take back, and at the last sec, his elbow goes up a bit and then he snaps his forehand. He ends up using too much arm and wrist to hit rather than having the arm be the final extension of a smooth motion. Rune isn't slow but he's also not as smooth and explosive of a mover as Alcaraz. I see him as a step below Sinner and Alcaraz.
His serve is better than Ray's and I think he's got some good hands at the net.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
Agree about Rune and the mental aspect. He has to sort that side of his game out, problem is he now has the absolutely wrong coach to help him.
As for Alcaraz, had he beat Medvedev, as he should have done had he not clowned around in the first set, he would have beat Djokovic in the final. No way Djokovic can beat Alcaraz over 5 sets as he just wouldnt have the stamina to cope with the Alcaraz game past the 3 hour mark in a slam final. Cincinatti is totally different, best of 3 sets and lets be honest, little pressure mentally compared to a slam final.
Sinner literally collapsed physically the other night the moment Alcaraz turned it physical, medvedev simililarly. Alcaraz is a beast physically and he can wear everyone down when he plays more attritionally. His issue is he can play a more expansive attractive game which is how he would prefer to play but that means way more UFEs and makes him more vulnerable if he is slightly off it.
Alcaraz has just brutalised Zverev Sinner and Medvedev in a row by going more spinny and attritional. Its actually frightening what he could become.
Agree on the first part. As for the rest? More recency bias, or just plain favoritism (not that there's anything really wrong with that).

That Cincinnati final was no ordinary Masters 1000 final. It was clear that way more was on the line than a simple M1000 trophy, and indeed that match effectively ended Alcaraz's season (he didn't do anything after that, until last week). It was "only" 3 sets, but it was 3:49 minutes long! It was the match of the year, and not only didn't Djokivic hold up physically and win it, he went on to win the USO immediately thereafter.

And you seem to have forgotten about what happened last year in the Miami semi-final. You claim that Sinner "literally collapsed physically" last week (which of course he did not, because the word "literally" has an actual meaning), when he simply looked a little banged up and flat after diving for a ball on a hard court. Meanwhile, last year in Miami, Alcaraz did break down physically after not even two full sets of play. Do you really not remember?

You are also way too hyped about the past few matches, forgetting that just a few weeks prior he was losing to Nicholas Jarry on clay.
 

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
Alcaraz has just brutalised Zverev Sinner and Medvedev in a row by going more spinny and attritional. Its actually frightening what he could become.
Allow me to quibble with the remark, "what Carlos could become."

He's already a truly great player, youngest #1 ever and two slams at 20. The amount of hate he gets here is ludicrous and generated by two triggered fanbases. The Djoker crowd bizarrely feels threatened, even though the likelihood of Alcaraz (or anyone) winning 25 slams is extremely remote. And the Sinner trolls hate him because that's their entire schtick.

Carlos has already become great. I think he is the favorite to win RG and will have his chances at the remaining 2 slams. Rafa won 5 slams at age 22, Alcaraz has a chance to do the same. And even more impressive, he has a chance to be the youngest ever to win the CGS.
 
Allow me to quibble with the remark, "what Carlos could become."

He's already a truly great player, youngest #1 ever and two slams at 20. The amount of hate he gets here is ludicrous and generated by two triggered fanbases. The Djoker crowd bizarrely feels threatened, even though the likelihood of Alcaraz (or anyone) winning 25 slams is extremely remote. And the Sinner trolls hate him because that's their entire schtick.

Carlos has already become great. I think he is the favorite to win RG and will have his chances at the remaining 2 slams. Rafa won 5 slams at age 22, Alcaraz has a chance to do the same. And even more impressive, he has a chance to be the youngest ever to win the CGS.
It doesnt seem too bad on here, but the bile Alcaraz gets from Djokovic fans on twitter is astonishing. Sinner doesnt yet to seem a big following.
Alcaraz doesnt need 20 plus majors to be in the goat debate. a calendar slam is all he needs. The Big 3 couldnt do it. I agree he is already an ATG as well.
 
Agree on the first part. As for the rest? More recency bias, or just plain favoritism (not that there's anything really wrong with that).

That Cincinnati final was no ordinary Masters 1000 final. It was clear that way more was on the line than a simple M1000 trophy, and indeed that match effectively ended Alcaraz's season (he didn't do anything after that, until last week). It was "only" 3 sets, but it was 3:49 minutes long! It was the match of the year, and not only didn't Djokivic hold up physically and win it, he went on to win the USO immediately thereafter.

And you seem to have forgotten about what happened last year in the Miami semi-final. You claim that Sinner "literally collapsed physically" last week (which of course he did not, because the word "literally" has an actual meaning), when he simply looked a little banged up and flat after diving for a ball on a hard court. Meanwhile, last year in Miami, Alcaraz did break down physically after not even two full sets of play. Do you really not remember?

You are also way too hyped about the past few matches, forgetting that just a few weeks prior he was losing to Nicholas Jarry on clay.
You can discount Cincinatti and USO last year from Alcaraz perspective as he was always going to suffer a hangover after wimbledon.
Indian wells was of critical importance for him i think. in fact i think it maybe the biggest title of his career in some ways.
 

FeroBango

Legend

Vincent-C

Legend
Allow me to quibble with the remark, "what Carlos could become."

He's already a truly great player, youngest #1 ever and two slams at 20. The amount of hate he gets here is ludicrous and generated by two triggered fanbases. The Djoker crowd bizarrely feels threatened, even though the likelihood of Alcaraz (or anyone) winning 25 slams is extremely remote. And the Sinner trolls hate him because that's their entire schtick.

Carlos has already become great. I think he is the favorite to win RG and will have his chances at the remaining 2 slams. Rafa won 5 slams at age 22, Alcaraz has a chance to do the same. And even more impressive, he has a chance to be the youngest ever to win the CGS.
Sinner had MP at USO and Djok took a required dive at Wimbledon.

Next..
 
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