At the women’s tournament in Indian Wells, Aryna Sabalenka was the headline act. In the space of a couple of weeks in the United States, she managed to get a dog, get engaged and win the title. On the men’s side, though, there were two protagonists at once — Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner.
Last season was far from the steadiest of Medvedev’s career. In 2025, he radiated plenty of negativity on court, lost in the opening rounds of Grand Slams and dropped out of the top 10. Only in the autumn did we begin to see flashes again of the Medvedev game we had grown used to over the past few years. But to find a second wind, Daniil had to take a difficult step. He parted ways with his long-time coach Gilles Cervara, whose place was taken by 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, who previously worked with Mario Ancic and Richard Krajicek. The start of the 2026 season only strengthened the belief among fans and experts that Medvedev was emerging from a prolonged hibernation — and was ready to shine again.
The Russian made it to the United States almost at the last possible moment. Because of the conflict in the Middle East, Daniil and several other players had to resort to unconventional ways of leaving the United Arab Emirates: he crossed into Oman by car, flew from there to Istanbul and only then set off for the United States. But all that ordeal proved worthwhile. By the time the first Masters of the season arrived, Medvedev already had titles in Brisbane and Dubai to his name, along with a fourth-round run at the Australian Open. Still, it would be hard to say he was listed among the very top favourites in Indian Wells. Slightly more attention was fixed on Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
The Serb was the first to fall, losing in the fourth round to defending champion Jack Draper. Alcaraz was stopped in the semi-finals by the Russian, who handed the Spaniard his first defeat of 2026 — Carlitos had been 16–0 before that match, with titles in Melbourne and Doha. Medvedev and Sinner both reached the final without dropping a set. The last time that happened in Indian Wells was in 2015, when Roger Federer and Djokovic contested the trophy.
In Sunday’s match, Daniil once again produced aggressive tennis, backed by superbly solid baseline play. In effect, there are only two moments in the final he can reproach himself for. The first came in the opening-set tie-break, when at 5–4 Medvedev pulled his racket away instead of playing a volley at the net. The ball ended up diving treacherously into the court. In the second tie-break, Daniil led 4–0, but allowed the Italian to win seven (!) points in a row. That said, credit must go to Sinner, who was excellent behind his first serve all match, winning 43 of 47 points.
For Jannik, the title in the United States was his first of the season. Sinner became only the third player in history to win all six hard-court Masters events, while Medvedev once again let that same opportunity slip. The first two were Djokovic and Federer. Across the Indian Wells tournament, the 24-year-old Italian did not lose a single set. He had done the same at the Paris Masters in November. No one in men’s tennis had ever won two consecutive Masters events without dropping a set. As a reminder, this tournament series dates back to 1990.
Sinner has now completed hard-court tennis, winning every major title on the surface: the Grand Slams — the Australian Open and the US Open — the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, and the Masters 1000 events: Indian Wells, Miami, the Canadian Open, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris. Jannik also became the first Italian in history to win 100 matches at Masters tournaments.
Sinner’s triumph sharpens the battle for the world No. 1 ranking. Yes, there is still a 2,150-point gap between Jannik and Alcaraz. But last year the Italian did not play Miami, Monte-Carlo, Barcelona or Madrid, so every point he earns over the next seven weeks will only add to his total. Carlitos, meanwhile, has points to defend: the title in Monte-Carlo and a final in Barcelona.
It is already clear that all the top players have woken up — which means a bright, unpredictable spring awaits us.
