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Former American tennis player Andy Roddick was thrilled by Daniil Medvedev's victory over Alexander Zverev at the 2023 Indian Wells Masters, despite the Russian player's constant ranting during the match.
Medvedev is known for his frequent outbursts on the court. And his fourth-round match against Zverev served as the perfect example as the Russian expressed his dissatisfaction with the sluggish pace of the courts at Indian Wells.
Roddick, however, was unperturbed by the former World No. 1's eccentricities. In fact, he expressed admiration for Daniil Medvedev's ability to channel his emotions into his game.
"There’s not a lot of players who you can listen to a 90 second monolog on how much the surface sucks. Then he comes back and creates one of the best matches of the year so far. And he stays there and that’s just the way he ticks the idiosyncrasies," Roddick said.
Roddick expressed admiration for Medvedev's ability to maintain focus despite his antics on the court.
"I love it cause it never affects the way he competes. There's a difference between someone who complains about everything and who throws the toys around. But you know they’re going to be there at the next point. I got time for that guy," Roddick continued.
The 40-year-old went on to acknowledge Medvedev's ability to problem-solve.
"We don’t give him enough credit for his problem solving. He started coming forward a little bit more and he has to do that on the surface that he doesn’t like," he added.
Daniil Medvedev to face France Tiafoe in Indian Wells semifinals
After a straight-sets victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Daniil Medvedev is set to face off against Frances Tiafoe for a spot in the 2023 BNP Paribas Open final. Tiafoe earned his place in the semifinals with a convincing 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Cameron Norrie.
Medvedev has the upper hand over Tiafoe on the ATP tour with a 4-0 head-to-head lead against the American. That said, the Russian knows he'll have to be at his best to get past the home favorite.
"He's playing great. Frances is a very pumped-up, fiery player, so he can beat anyone on a good day. I'm sure he can beat Novak, Rafa. He actually did beat Rafa in the US Open, which is huge. For sure I need to try my best to keep this head-to-head at zero. That's never easy and I just have to show my best tennis and try to beat such a great opponent," Medvedev said.
Medvedev and Tiafoe's semifinal showdown is scheduled to take place on March 18.
