Indian Wells Recap With Hall of Famer Steve Flink: Sinner and Sabalenka Emerge Victorious, Medvedev Shocks Alcaraz and More

Hall of Fame journalist Steve Flink returns to the podcast to recap the outstanding 2026 Indian Wells tournament, which saw two decorated champions claim their first titles at Tennis Paradise. Flink breaks down how Jannik Sinner handled the opposition and the conditions to win the men's event, and points out just how rock solid the Italian is after facing adversity. The writer also discusses how Daniil Medvedev was able to pull of a massive upset over Carlos Alcaraz, and points out what the key will be for the 2021 US Open champion to return to the top of the game consistently. And Flink reflects on the other highlights from men's side of Indian Wells, which included a coming out party for Joao Fonseca and an ultra impressive win for Jack Draper over Novak Djokovic. Flink also analyzes how Aryna Sabalenka was able to overcome her nemesis Elena Rybakina to win the women's title, in a battle that might go down as the WTA match of the year when the season concludes. The International Hall of Fame member explains why this win was vital for Sabalenka, how these two women have separated themselves from the WTA for the time-being, and why this rivalry reminds him of Bjorn Borg vs. John McEnroe. And the episode concludes with a lookahead to The Miami Open, the second leg of the Sunshine Double and a tournament very different from Indian Wells. Hosted by Mitch Michals. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.