Tennis News: Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Nick Kyrgios

Daniil Medvedev must truly be tired from all those five-set matches at the Australian Open. He has not played in a tournament since. He was scheduled to play in Rotterdam this week and the Qatar Open next week but has withdrawn from both. Because of this and that he is not defending the points he gained at the events in 2023, he will very likely be passed in points by Jannik Sinner and Sinner will take Medvedev's ATP No. 3 spot.

Not that Medvedev likely cares all that much. If he did, he probably would not have withdrawn from both events. Honestly, it is his call if he wants to play or not and he has earned that right. He has been a great player for several years and if taking a short break helps him be excellent later in the year then so be it.

The Russian is scheduled to play in the Dubai Championships currently. That event begins on February 26 on the ATP side. One would definitely assume he will participate in the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells in March.

Daniil Medvedev drops out and is surprised by Carlos Alcaraz

While Medvedev is not playing, he is still sharing his thoughts on subjects. This is good as Medvedev is both insightful and funny. In a recent interview with Eurosport, he talked about how he was "surprised" to learn that Carlos Alcaraz's biggest goal in 2024 is to win Olympic gold.

Said Medvedev, "I’m in a way surprised (at Alcaraz’s comments). I wonder why he said it, was it because he was watching the Olympics when he was young, or for different reasons? Because it’s actually interesting...So it’s a very big event which I think every player dreams of winning, but I do think that Grand Slams — in my opinion — have the edge and are a bit more important in tennis."

Nick Kyrgios gets defended

Speaking of someone else with strong opinions, Nick Kyrgios certainly can be a divisive figure in tennis. But in a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Kyrios' countryman and fellow player, Dane Sweeney, defended Kyrgios from any criticism Kyrgios might get. And, of course, Kyrgios gets a lot of it.

Sweeney said, "I don't know (Kyrgios) too much on a personal level...I know the media likes to skew things. The judgment he gets from the media is never correct...Not many people can bring that much attention to the sport, good or bad. At the end of the day, he is bringing attention to the sport, making it more renowned. So, that helps for sure."

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