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Fans did not take kindly to Maria Sharapova attending Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev’s 2024 Indian Wells final while seemingly missing Iga Swiatek and Maria Sakkari’s showdown.
On Sunday, March 17, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek won the 2024 Indian Wells men’s and women’s singles titles, respectively. Alcaraz defended his title by beating Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (5), 6-1 in a repeat of last year’s final, while Swiatek lifted the trophy earlier on the day by crushing Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 in a repeat of the 2022 final.
Several celebrities attended the two finals, including Hollywood icons Zendaya, Tom Holland and Charlize Theron who were seated from the women’s final onwards. Former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova, too, marked her presence in Indian Wells.
Sharapova was first spotted in the stands during Carlos Alcaraz’s match against her compatriot Daniil Medvedev. The two-time champion also shared a few highlights on social media, applauding tournament director and former player Tommy Haas for the hospitality.
Tennis fans, though, did not appreciate Maria Sharapova’s seeming absence during the women’s final and called her out for not “supporting” the two finalists.
"And why wasn’t she there supporting women’s tennis?" one fan questioned.
Another fan hinted that the former women’s tennis players’ seeming disregard for the current crop of players contributed to WTA’s lack of visibility.
"Shame she didn’t attend the women’s final as well. Kinda difficult to make a solid brand out of women’s tennis when ex WTA stars aren’t even trying to," the fan said.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans on X:
What Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz said following their 2024 Indian Wells triumphs
Both Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz won their second Indian Wells titles in the recently concluded edition. Swiatek, who was also the champion in 2022, won her eighth WTA 1000 title and 19th singles title overall.
It's worth noting that the four-time Grand Slam champion had a forgettable start this season, with a shock third-round exit at the 2024 Australian Open. She has since won two titles, including the WTA 1000 in Doha.
Expressing her delight at turning the corner, the World No. 1 said:
"I just feel I've done really good work," she said in her press conference. "I just know that it hasn't been easy after Australia, and I've been working hard to play well and to handle everything mentally well. So I'm just proud of myself maybe because of that."
Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, won his fifth Masters 1000 trophy and 13th overall, by defending his title at the tournament. Like Swiatek, the 20-year-old did not enjoy a successful start to the season. In fact, the Indian Wells title is Alcaraz’s first since his Wimbledon triumph last year.
Acknowledging the significance of his victory, the two-time Grand Slam champion said:
"It means a lot to me, lifting this trophy, winning this tournament, because I overcome a lot of problems in my head, a lot of problems physically. It was so special for that."
