Daniil Medvedev's runner-up speech leaves tennis world in stitches

Daniil Medvedev may have been crushed in the Indian Wells final against Carlos Alcaraz, but the Russian certainly delivered one of the all-time speeches at the trophy ceremony. Alcaraz reclaimed the World No.1 ranking after lifting his third ATP 1000 title at the age of just 19 years old.

The Spaniard was utterly dominant in the final, with the 19-year-old not letting an early technology drama ruin his momentum as he won 6-3 6-2 in 70 minutes. At one stage in the second set, Alcaraz won 12 points in a row as Medvedev looked utterly helpless against the Spaniard.

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Medvedev could have decided to rush through his runner-up speech during the trophy ceremony after the brutal loss. However, the Russian was all class and congratulated Alcaraz for his manners and professionalism on the tour.

"You already have amazing achievements in your career. Winning Indian Wells is one of them", Medvedev said. "You are probably the most respectful player on tour, saying hello to 300 people per day."

In a hilarious moment, Medvedev addressed his long-running battle with the court at the Indian Wells. Earlier in the tournament, Medvedev blasted the slow surface as a 'disgrace' and 'awful'.

But Medvedev did his best to apologise to the court' and said he hoped to see it again next year. "I've never said this...but I've had a pretty toxic relationship with the courts here," he joked.

"We've had a lot of love, hate moments. So I would like to thank the court. I only played on this court, so I would like to thank this court.

"I was giving it a hard time, so it gave me a hard time with a rolled ankle, the thumb. But it gave me a chance to finish the tournament so, thanks a lot to the court and I will definitely be back."

Medvedev's speech certainly caught the attention of the tennis world. Fans were left in stitches at his sense of humour and praised him for lightening the mood after such a heavy defeat.

Carlos Alcaraz takes over World No.1 mantle

Alcaraz will now reclaim the World No.1 ranking, which he claimed was his goal before the start of the tournament. Djokovic didn't take part at Indian Wells because isn't allowed to enter the United States, meaning he is forced to miss Indian Wells and the Miami Open - both ATP 1000 events. He also missed both events last year, with America still requiring overseas travellers to show proof of vaccination to gain entry into the country.

It was recently announced that the mandate would be lifted next month, but that will come too late for Djokovic. In a positive twist, he will be allowed to play the US Open in September.

Regardless, Alcaraz will have a chance to extend his time as World No.1 and on his recent form it's hard to see the young Spaniard stopping. "I'm very happy to win this tournament, it's amazing to complete these 10 days like this," Alcaraz said. "Of course the conditions today were very tough.

"Daniil obviously didn't play at his best level, but I'm very happy for my performance and how I played this tournament. I want to play at this level in Miami as well."

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