Article by Luminița Paul – Published on Thursday, 12 March 2026, 13:17 / Updated on Thursday, 12 March 2026 13:20
Daniil Medvedev (30 years old, world number 11) qualified for the “quarters” of the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells after 6-2, 6-4 against the American Alex Michelsen (21 years old, number 44 ATP), then he talked about referees and how they apply a certain rule in tennis.
For Daniil Medvedev2026 is shaping up more and more clearly as a year of a return to a high level of results and play. The Russian is fully showing at Indian Wells this change from the last two less successful seasons. For now, he advanced to the quarter-finals with a very good, solid, accurate match against the young American Alex Michelsenwhich he overcame 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 28 minutes.
The Russian enjoys playing the tournament in the Californian desert, where he has made the finals twice in his previous 8 appearances. On both occasions, 2023 and 2024, he lost to current ATP leader, Carlos Alcarazand last year he reached the semi-finals.
What Daniil likes less, however, is how some chair umpires interpret the pre-service time rule.
Daniil Medvedev: “There are also players who use it excessively”
“Shot clock is very subjective. Even I, who serve really fast, sometimes after a long 40-stroke swing, I arrive at the service area trying to catch my breath and when I look at the clock there are five seconds left. Then I think: “What happened?”“, he answered in the press conference to a question from the journalists present at Indian Wells.
Summary of the match Daniil Medvedev – Alex Michelsen
“Now it goes quite fast. But there are also players who use it excessively, for example, when there are two seconds left, they say that the throw of the ball was not good. I think the system here is a little bit fast. And if I say so, who usually serve fast, it is probably so, but in general I try to adapt and play according to the existing rules,” Medvedev pointed out.
2Daniil Medvedev won ATP titles in 2026, in Brisbane and Dubai, out of a total of 23 in his career
However, he complains about the referees' different reaction. “Some apply the rule differently. Fergus penalized me several times for running out of time and I got very angry,” he said, referring to Ireland's Fergus Murphy, one of the most experienced officials.
“When you play against players like Rafa, Sascha or Novak, who take more time to prepare their serve, sometimes it allows for some flexibility. I think it would be useful to warn the player before penalizing them, explaining that they are on the limit. I remember one time in Vienna when I was penalized in a tie-break after two very intense points. I didn't even go to get the towel and still they gave me the sanction. I don't accept that“, warned Daniil.
The Russian will meet in the “quarters” the untitled champion from Indian Wells, Jack Draper. So far, they have only met once, on clay, at the Masters 1000 in Rome in 2024, with the Russian prevailing in the second round 7-5, 6-4.
