Daniil Medvedev questioned Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal after seeing that the two rivals caught the same flight to Indian Wells ahead of the upcoming Masters 1000 tournament. The multi-Grand Slam champions set social media alight last week when they shared a snap taken together on the plane. But Medvedev was concerned about another aspect of their unexpected reunion.
Djokovic and Nadal surprised fans when they revealed that they bumped into each other while on the same flight to America ahead of Indian Wells, posing for a smiley selfie. While most were amused by the unlikely run-in, Medvedev was caught off guard by another aspect of their journey.
Asked whether he’d seen the photo, the world No. 4 said: “I saw it a little bit. First of all, I was surprised.” Medvedev thought it was too early to travel to Indian Wells, which begins on March 6, with two events taking place this week in Acapulco in Dubai.
Smiling, the former US Open winner added: “Where are they going so early. Indian Wells? Why so early?” Medvedev was also taken aback by the improbability that two fierce rivals happened to end up on the same plane.
“It’s fun. I guess they didn’t for sure talk to each other before to choose the same flight. I guess it was a surprise for me,” he continued. “When you see another tennis player on the plane like this, it’s a good surprise, which especially them for are rivals for 20 years. It’s a fun picture.”
But Medvedev explained that it wasn’t as unlikely as some may think, as players often bumped into each other on their travels. “It shows you on tennis tour, you see other players in the plane, you laugh about it, take a picture,” he said.
“Maybe they talked a little. Then you forget about it. They go Indian Wells, prepare their way. That’s how tennis tour is. Friendly, easygoing.” Although Djokovic and Nadal have arrived in Indian Wells earlier than their competitors, they will both want the extra time to prepare as they return to the tournament following some time away.
Djokovic hasn’t played in Indian Wells since 2019 and this will be his first competition since his Australian Open exit. Nadal missed Indian Wells last year after picking up a season-ending injury in January.
And he will be back in action for the first time since he made a comeback in Brisbane at the start of January, where he won two matches before tearing a muscle and pulling out of the Aussie Open. The 37-year-old also needed to arrive early as he will contest an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas this weekend.
While they focus on the first Masters 1000 of the year, Medvedev will be trying to retain his crown in Dubai. The Russian has 20 career titles to his name but he has never won the same tournament twice and could end that streak if he defends the trophy. The top seed starts his campaign against Alexander Shevchenko on Tuesday.
