Daniil Medvedev, routed in straight sets by Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells final, says the 19-year-old Spaniard has “100%” earned his return to number one in the world, despite the absence of Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz’s first Indian Wells triumph — his third Masters 1000 title — will move him back to the summit he held at the end of last year after his US Open triumph made him the youngest man ever to reach number one.

Medvedev said it should take no shine from the achievement that Djokovic, who won a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, is missing Indian Wells and the upcoming Miami Open because his unvaccinated status means he can’t enter the United States.

Read the full story on sportsdesk.com.mt...

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.