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‘Not a Big Fan of Golf’- Unexpected Rain Delay Forces Daniil Medvedev to Switch Sports Amidst the Indian Wells Chaos

Published Mar 17, 2024 | 5:54 AM EDT

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via Reuters

The Indian Wells Masters semis between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were disrupted by a three-hour rain delay. It also affected the second semifinal match featuring Daniil Medvedev and Tommy Paul, as it was to take place on the same court. As he had to wait in the lounge due to the delay, the Russian tennis star was also forced to go beyond his interests.

The BNP Paribas Open match suspensions because of rain might now have prompted the 2021 US Open champion to switch sports, according to his recent disclosures. Despite not being a ‘big fan of golf,’ Medvedev recently opened up about how he was forced to keep tabs on a totally disparate game.

In his post-match press conference, the 28-year-old player was recently asked, about how he spent the delay as he was waiting in the lounge before his semifinal match. Medvedev answered by stating, “Oh, I was just in the lounge, I think, what was it? I had like, at 1:00 thinking the match could be around 3:30, and then I was just waiting. Actually slept a little bit, woke up, I was, like, 2-1 still? I saw the rain. Then was just waiting. Not a big fan of golf but I’m watching, they show it on every channel.”

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via Reuters

As he now watches a few golf matches, the Russian revealed that he is really ‘into the players.’ He said, “So I’m really into the players now. I’m watching it closely. Went to eat again and just relaxed. I do it all the time. I feel like it works well with me just to relax. Then the moment when the match was closing, close to finish, I go to warm up.”

This is not the first time Medvedev was forced to wait due to a lengthy rain delay. Even at the 2023 Miami Open, the Russian player was ‘chilling’ for five hours straight after the schedule of his round-of-16 match got interrupted by weather conditions.

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Daniil Medvedev on what he was doing during the rain delay

Back in 2023, the former Grand Slam champion was supposed to play against Frenchman Quentin Halys in the evening session of the Miami Open. However, the round-of-16 match got postponed due to a rain delay, prompting Medvedev to lie down for five hours straight.

READ MORE- Heated Scenes Emerge From Paris Masters as Daniil Medvedev Refuses to Play Following Fans’ Uncharacteristic Gesture

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In his on-court interview, the Russian player said, “I actually thought it was going to be canceled. I was just laying down, nothing else to do. Basically, I laid down for five hours, just relaxed. I’m really happy that I managed to play not so badly because it’s not easy. When you play at midnight, I mean I usually sleep at midnight, so try to play some tennis there.”

What do you think of the Russian tennis star being unbothered by such lengthy delays at tournaments? Let us know in the comments section.

Written by:

Anurag Gusain

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Anurag Gusain is a Tennis Writer at EssentiallySports, who blends his innate talent for journalism with a solid foundation in English, earned during his undergraduate years. With more than two years of content creation under his belt, Anurag seamlessly translates his passion for tennis into captivating articles. At ES, he is the go-to voice for all things Serena Williams, skillfully covering both her on-court legacy and off-court endeavors.
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Edited by:

Jacob Gijy