Daniil Medvedev came agonizingly close to winning his first BNP Paribas Open title at Tennis Paradise, but was bested by Jannik Sinner in the championship match on March 15. This marked the Russian’s third runner-up finish at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden after losing two consecutive finals in 2023 and 2024 against Carlos Alcaraz.
Daniil Medvedev Faces Travel Nightmare as Equipment Fails to Arrive in Miami Open
With the first leg of the Sunshine Doubles concluded, Medvedev faced a very inconvenient situation upon his arrival in Florida for the 2026 Miami Open. Medvedev is set to enter the 2026 Miami Open as the ninth seed, receiving a bye in the first round. He will either face Aleksander Kovacevic or Rei Sakamoto in the second round, with a strong chance against either, given his recent form.
The Russian is back in the ATP Top 10 after his runner-up finish against Sinner and has arrived at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. However, after touching down in Florida from Palm Springs International Airport, Medvedev took to X to share an incident that caused him major inconvenience.
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He wrote, “Hi @united…need a little help. Flew from PSP to Florida yesterday and none of my bags arrived. Kind of need them to play in the @MiamiOpen😉….can you help?”
Hi @united…need a little help. Flew from PSP to Florida yesterday and none of my bags arrived. Kind of need them to play in the @MiamiOpen 😉….can you help?
— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) March 17, 2026
The Russian lost all his bags in transit while travelling from one ATP Masters 1000 tournament to another, while on a United Airlines flight. He capitalized on this moment to showcase his social media skills and the trademark humor that he is known for.
However, this isn’t even close to what he went through to get to the Coachella Valley in the first place. Before coming to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Medvedev was competing in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he reached the final, which was scheduled for Saturday, February 28.
The championship match never actually took place, as his opponent, the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, withdrew just hours beforehand due to a left hamstring injury. On the same day, the geopolitical situation in the Middle East worsened, prompting the UAE to close its airspace, stranding him, Andrey Rublev, and Karen Khachanov.
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The World No. 10 then had to travel by car to Oman, fly to Istanbul, and then catch a flight to Los Angeles, with the entire trip taking multiple days. As a result, the Russian was unable to team up with fellow Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva at the Eisenhower Cup, which kicked off the action in Indian Wells on March 3.
Medvedev again joked about this, comparing it to a Hollywood movie after successfully arriving for the tournament.
Medvedev’s Previous Performances at the Miami Open
Medvedev has many memorable moments at Hard Rock Stadium, both good and bad. His debut at the tournament came back in 2018, where he faced Stefanos Tsitsipas in the infamous first-round match. This was their first-ever meeting, in which the Russian mounted a comeback to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
However, the World No. 51 took a long emergency toilet break during the decider, which angered Medvedev as it broke his momentum. Tsitsipas also allegedly refused to apologize after hitting a net cord, leading to a heated verbal exchange between the two players in which the Russian told the Greek to “shut up.” He lost in the next match against the World No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the next round in another gruelling three-set battle.
After securing wins over Adrian Mannarino and Reilly Opelka in the first two matches, the 13th seed Medvedev faced a straight set loss against the 20-time Grand Slam Champion Roger Federer in the fourth-round match of the 2019 Miami Open. Medvedev returned to Florida as the top seed but suffered a quarterfinal exit against Roberto Bautista Agut and Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Everything changed in 2023 when the Russian had established himself as arguably the world’s second-best player on the hard courts after Novak Djokovic. He entered the tournament as the fourth seed and dropped just one set to lift the trophy by defeating Jannik Sinner in the championship match.
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However, the Italian took revenge for this loss in the semifinal of the 2024 Miami Open, ending the Russian’s title defense, and went on to lift the trophy by defeating Grigor Dimitrov.
Last year, the 30-year-old suffered a major upset against Spaniard Jaume Munar in the second round, exiting with a 2-6, 3-6 loss. Medvedev is eager to make another strong run at the venue, potentially even winning the title, given his recent form, in which he has already won two titles in three championship matches this year.
