From almost missing the BNP Paribas Open after getting stranded in Dubai to losing his luggage on the way to Miami, Daniil Medvedev has struggled throughout the Sunshine Swing. But tennis has told a different story, as the former world No. 1 overcame three tough sets against Rei Sakamoto to advance, 6-7 (10), 6-3, 6-1.
Medvedev was coming off a second-place finish at Indian Wells, whose typically slow conditions often frustrate the 2021 US Open champion. But this year proved to be a setback for the No. 9 seed, who thrived in the California desert and even broke Carlos Alcaraz’s 16-game winning streak en route to the championship match.
“They are completely different conditions [here]” Medvedev said on court after the match. “It’s always been like that. I generally feel like Miami is faster; not too much, but a little. This year, it’s slower because Indian Wells was fast, so it feels a lot slower. The serve can still work but in points it is much slower. “I was losing my rhythm and I just wasn’t prepared for the ball to react the way it did.”
