“Daniil Medvedev is not taking a jibe at Carlos Alcaraz” – Fans fume over misinterpretation of Russian’s remarks on Spaniard’s popularity

Despite Daniil Medvedev’s intentions, his comments about Carlos Alcaraz’s increasing fame have provoked frustration among tennis enthusiasts.

According to Medvedev, in order to draw the masses, a more aggressive playing style is necessary. He supported his claim by referencing the large fanbase of Alcaraz.

“I think in every sport it is the same when you play defensively. People want to see the show, so they want to see offensive shots and that’s why as soon as Carlos came on the tour, he gained a big fanbase because he crushes the ball,”Medvedev told ATP.

Despite acknowledging the effectiveness of an offensive style, Daniil Medvedev prefers to focus on achieving results rather than playing “beautiful”tennis. However, he did appreciate the natural attacking play of Alcaraz, which has gained him a larger fan base and more attention.

“I always say, ‘I could do it’, but then I think I would not have the results I have had in my career, and for me the result is the most important. It’s more important than to, let’s say, be beautiful on the court. For Carlos, it doesn’t work this way. That’s the way he plays and that’s the way it works [for him], so it’s kind of a benefit that this way gains fans and gains attention,”the Russian added.

In the meantime, We Are Tennis slightly altered Medvedev’s statements, giving the impression that the Russian was making a subtle jab at Carlos Alcaraz’s style of play.

Upon the misinterpretation, social media users were swift in their response. One fan made it clear that Daniil Medvedev was not intentionally taking a jab at Alcaraz.

“I think people mistook what he said. He is not taking a jibe at Alcaraz. He is saying if I play aggressive attacking tennis with flamboyance my results won’t be near as good as currently it is now. He previously also said if he played like Korda he would be ranked 700 in the world,”the fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

One other fan sarcastically praised the media outlet for “twisting words out of context.”

“Well done taking things out of context, @WeAreTennis,”the tweet read.

A third user expressed criticism towards the channel, stating:

“Poor journalism”

In addition, there are several other responses from tennis enthusiasts:

Daniil Medvedev Praises Carlos Alcaraz’s Performance in Indian Wells Final

Despite putting up a strong fight, Daniil Medvedev ultimately fell to Carlos Alcaraz with a 6-7(5), 1-6 score in the Indian Wells final. In his post-match press conference, the fourth-ranked player in the world commended his opponent for continuously elevating his performance throughout the match.

“He [Alcaraz] managed in the first set at one moment to raise his level. I kind of managed to be there and to try to catch his level, but I was just a little bit down. In the end, this down was going down, down, down, and he was going up, up, up,”Medvedev said as per ATPTour.com.

After his success at Indian Wells, Medvedev carried his momentum into the Miami Open. He notched four consecutive straight-set victories before ultimately losing to Jannik Sinner, 1-6, 2-6, in the semifinals.

It is anticipated that Daniil Medvedev will return to compete in the Monte-Carlo Masters, after experiencing a quarterfinal defeat to eventual runner-up Holger Rune in the same tournament last year. The ATP Masters 1000 event is set to begin on April 7.