Dream final in Florida!

In the absence of Novak Djokovic, who is still not allowed to enter the USA, there will nevertheless be a real dream final between two of the best tennis players in the world at the moment in Indian Wells late on Sunday evening. We are talking about the Spanish youngster Carlos Alcaraz and his Russian opponent Daniil Medvedev.

The fact that bets on the success of the 19-year-old talent of the century are being offered at lower odds ahead of the eagerly awaited final of the first Masters tournament in the calendar year 2023 between Alcaraz and Medvedev impressively shows the immense importance that the world number two already has with the best bookmakers. After all, his opponent, who is eight years older than him, has an outstanding winning streak to his name.

Medvedev has now won 19 matches in a row. The Russian has won the last three tournaments he has played. Against this background, it is certainly risky to make a prediction on the outcome of the match between Alcaraz and Medvedev. It would therefore be conceivable to bet on a match over the full distance or even on a tiebreak. We do not expect a one-sided course of events in only the second direct duel between the tennis aces.

Carlos Alcaraz – Statistics & Current Form

All tennis fans who feared that their favourite sport would lose its shine after the career end of Roger Federer as well as the careers of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray coming to an end have done the math without the new tennis star in the sky: Carlos Alcaraz.

The shooting star, who is only 19 years old, celebrated his breakthrough in the calendar year 2022, won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in autumn last year and already has 20 weeks as world No. 1 under his belt. The Spanish right-hander has no real weakness, comes through his outstanding physique, convinces with a variable game and has also noticeably improved his serve in recent weeks and months.

Alcaraz still without losing a set in Indian Wells

After an injury kept Alcaraz out of action for around three months from November to February and coach Juan Carlos Ferrero’s protégé was therefore unable to compete in the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, it is all the more surprising that the man from Murcia is currently already playing his best tennis again and dominating this first Masters tournament at Indian Wells at will.

Alcaraz, who is currently ranked second but is the number one seed due to Djokovic’s absence, is the only player not to have dropped a single set in the tournament. Especially his performances in the quarter- and semi-finals were so strong that Alcaraz is considered the favourite against Medvedev according to the odds.

In the quarter-final against the Canadian Auger-Aliassime, the Spaniard marked 81% on his own serve, made only eight simple errors and ultimately hit more winners than his opponent. In the semi-final against the South Tyrolean Sinner, the 19-year-old giant talent even managed almost twice as many winning strokes. Alcaraz has been hitting the ball almost perfectly this week in Florida, has hardly any lapses in his own service and is already a champion of the important rallies despite his young age. All these aspects are enough to place a bet on the world number two.

Daniil Medvedev – statistics & current form

The careers of Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz are similar in that the Russian won his only Grand Slam title to date at Flushing Meadows and also spent 16 weeks at the top of the world rankings. There is, however, one major difference: the Moscow native celebrated his 27th birthday in February and is eight years older than his opponent in the final from Murcia.

What could be linked to more experience on the one hand also offers risks on the other. While Alcaraz often shows his best tennis in big matches, Medvedev has already lost many important matches. In 2021 and 2022, for example, the right-hander lost in the final of the Australian Open. Nevertheless, 18 victories in 30 ATP finals still make for a respectable bottom line.

Will Medvedev win his fourth tournament in a row?

The most exciting aspect about the Eastern European, who is equipped with an unorthodox groundstroke technique, is certainly that things have gone almost perfectly in recent weeks. The Russian, who sometimes tends to get very emotional, has won three tournaments in a row. Medvedev prevailed at the hard court events in Dubai and Doha and the 27-year-old also took the crown at the indoor tournament in Rotterdam. Four consecutive title wins, coupled with 20 singles victories in a row, would be an impressive personal record for the current world number six.

Although it is of course risky to play the odds on the Spaniard between Alcaraz and Medvedev given this ongoing winning streak, there are one or two factors working against the four-time Masters champion.

On the one hand, Medvedev, unlike his opponent, has already lost two sets in the tournament. One of them was against the German hope Alexander Zverev. On the other hand, the self-confident Grand Slam champion will not necessarily have the support of the fans in Florida. A question mark must also be placed behind the physicality, because after exhausting matches and intensive last weeks, a match against the bouncer from Spain could possibly be too much of a strain on the substance.

Carlos Alcaraz – Daniil Medvedev Direct comparison / H2H-balance

Although both players will define world tennis in the coming years, there has only been one head-to-head clash so far, which took place at Wimbledon in 2021. At the time, hardly anyone knew Alcaraz. The Russian won in three straight sets on grass. However, this encounter has no influence on the upcoming Alcaraz vs Medvedev forecast.

Carlos Alcaraz – Daniil Medvedev Tip

The dream final at Indian Wells is Carlos Alcaraz vs Daniil Medvedev. According to the betting odds, the Spanish player, who is currently four places ahead of his Russian opponent in the world rankings and has possibly been more convincing in the tournament so far, is the favourite by a razor-thin margin. The 19-year-old talent of the century has not yet lost a single set and has not shown any weakness in his game.

Apart from that, the man from Murcia still has fresh legs and enormous motivation after overcoming an injury break. Medvedev, on the other hand, has recently been a perennial player, winning his last 19 matches in a row and claiming three tournament victories in a row, but he also left a lot of energy behind. Strength that might be missing on Sunday night.