The much-anticipated Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open men’s doubles team of Daniil Medvedev and Learner Tien unfortunately lost in the first round.
The friendly foes played four matches over the course of a year, with Tien winning three of them.
Daniil Medvedev and Lerner Thien have spoken highly of each other in frequent post-game press conferences, so fans were excited to see the two team up in Indian Wells.
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It is a miracle that Daniil Medvedev and Runner Tien played.
They were one and ended up in Indian Wells, but many thought they wouldn’t play at all. Medvedev, the Dubai Open winner, was stuck in Dubai due to tensions in the Middle East. He did not participate in the Eisenhower Cup mixed doubles match, which marked the opening of the BNP Paribas Open.
Learner Tien played doubles fresh off a hard-fought, physical win over Ben Shelton. He remained calm in the scorching heat on the court, but suffered cramps while at the Tennis Channel desk after the match. There were concerns about whether he would be able to play at that point.
Daniil Medvedev and learner Thien had not been able to practice together, and at one point Thien said he had not yet seen Medvedev in Indian Wells.
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The duo should run again in another tournament under better conditions. However, 1989 French Open champion Tien’s coach, Michael Chang, may not be a fan of the idea as he wants to preserve the player’s energy and focus on his increasingly successful singles career.
On the other side of the draw, there is a chance they will meet in singles if they both make it to the Indian Wells final.
In the doubles match, tennis fans are still looking forward to the match of the attractive team of Jannik Sinner, Reilly Opelka, Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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