Daniil Medvedev told the umpire “the court is slow so I go slow” as he suggested he might “take 25 minutes” for a toilet break given the court speed at Indian Wells.
But the former world No. 1 made his views known about the court conditions after dropping the second set.
Before taking a toilet break, Medvedev told the umpire he planned to take his time, in keeping with the speed of the courts.
“I’m gonna be as slow as this court is,” he said.
“So you can take 25 minutes. The court is slow so I go slow. I take my time.”
Told by the umpire he had to “accept” the conditions as a professional, Medvedev responded: “I don’t accept this.
“They say on the fact sheet this [Indian Wells] is hard courts. This is not hard courts.”
Medvedev is yet to make it past the fourth round in five previous appearances at Indian Wells.
Highlights: Zverev and Davidovich Fokina battle to three-set victories at Indian Wells
Medvedev said after his win that it was “very tough” to play at Indian Wells, where the ball travels through the air quickly but the courts can be slower than other hard surfaces on tour.
“Not easy to play here, for everyone,” he said in his press conference.
“I feel like there are, let’s say, 10 players that have the quality, I will not say which one, but to play good here because they have something in their game that can help them. Other than that, everyone is struggling.
“You can see a lot of matches [are] 6-1 in one of the sets, and you look at it on TV and you’re like, the other one is not playing bad, just few moments.
“You miss a few shots on important moments after a 25-shot rally. That kind of was the difference between the second and third sets.
“I cannot say I played much better in the third, but managed to be the one not missing after 25 shots. But it was more just being a little bit better on the important moments.
“Yeah, not easy, but not easy for everyone. I’m gonna try to continue fighting through this.”
Medvedev and Zverev are set to meet for the 13th time with their head-to-head record level at 6-6.
Highlights: Norrie fights back from a set down to defeat Daniel at Indian Wells
It will be the first meeting since Zverev suffered a serious injury in the French Open semi-finals last year.
“I think we know each other very well,” said Medvedev.
“Every match against such a top player is a new start. Every match he tries to adapt, I try to adapt. I remember he did very well in Turin [at the 2021 ATP Finals] to beat me. He was serving great, so that’s the key for him.
“I think he’s a little bit less important here in Indian Wells, probably. But I’m sure we’re gonna have a lot of rallies, lots of rallies. It’s gonna come down to who makes, again after like 20 shots, the best shot to try to put your opponent off balance, which is not easy to do here.
“So he’s coming back, he’s playing better and better. I think he’s not yet at where he was when he got injured, but every new match against a top player is an opportunity for him to bring back this level. So I’m gonna have to try to play my best, and postpone it for at least the next tournament.”
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