“I’m not sure what I was thinking, but it was an amazing atmosphere,” he said on court after the match.
“I lost a lot of tight matches this year where I could have won, should have won, maybe not, but tight matches where it goes a little bit 50/50," Medvedev later explained. “The more you lose them, the more you can start to lose a little confidence in these tight moments. So, no matter if you make a good decision tactically, the most important thing is to win. I was happy I was able to get over the line because he saved some match points and had a break in the third. I'm just happy to win, that's it.”
Medvedev last grabbed headlines for a post-win celebration when he channeled FIFA after claiming the 2021 US Open, but this reaction appeared entirely organic as he apologized to Fils at the net. The celebration was reminiscent of Venus Williams after the American reached the final of the 2017 Australian Open, both players brimming with utter joy.
“I mean, the adrenaline got me going,” Medvedev said in his post-match press conference. “I jumped next to him. Then I was, like, 'Sorry, man, I usually don't celebrate like this,' but it's okay, it can happen.”
Contrasted to the thrill of victory, Fils dealt with the agony of defeat in what was his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal, smashing a racquet and holding back tears after squandering a 4-2 lead in the deciding set.
The win earned Medvedev his first trip to a Masters semifinal since last March (Miami), where he'll face Danish rival Holger Rune. Indian Wells is the only hard-court Masters 1000 tournament that Medvedev, a self-proclaimed "specialist" is yet to win.
