By Richard Pagliaro Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Image source: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Indian Wells—Carlos Alcaraz INot only is he No. 1 in the world, he is an artist who uses the court as his canvas.
The seven-time major champion is great at tapping the little balls that drip onto the net like flecks of yellow paint.
Former world no.1 Daniil Medvedev Today, he won 6-2, 6-4 at the BNP Paribas Open, successfully defending several small balls from 21-year-old Alex Michelsen.
So we asked 11th seed Medvedev how he reads and reacts to drop shots, and which man has the most deceptive drop shots in the sport?
Two-time Indian Wells finalist Medvedev named two men as the sport’s premier lob artists: Carlos Alcaraz and Corentin Mutai.
“Alcaraz definitely has crazy shots. And Mutai,” Medvedev said. “You know? Mutai has a
Different games. So what’s easier for Alcaraz is he can hit it like crazy with a really powerful winner, so the next one you’re kind of on the back foot, and then he hits the shot, so he counters you.
“Moutet’s game is a little different, but also has crazy shots, so I would put those two [as the best]”.
In fact, Medvedev, who enters the Indian Wells quarterfinals with seven straight wins to face either defending champion Jack Draper or Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic, credited Alkaraz’s lob with helping the Russian win the 2023 Miami Open title.
“Look, I tried my best because again I clearly remember Carlos playing against me in Indian Wells [2023] The final, there were a lot of lobs, a lot of winners,” Medvedev said. “But I said to myself, OK, well, he has an amazing lob, so he can do it.
“I won the next week so maybe people watched the final so everyone started shooting and then I won the championship [Miami Open] title. I was like, okay, go ahead. So I just try my best. Whenever I have to play small ball, I try to win points. “
