World No 4 Daniil Medvedev faces an anxious wait to know the full extent of an injury that forced him out of the Madrid quarterfinals on Thursday, as the Russian joined a group of top players struggling with fitness issues before the French Open.
The 28-year-old had treatment on the upper part of his right leg while leading Czech Jiri Lehecka 3-2 in the first set and again two games later. He went on to lose the set 6-4 before telling the umpire he could not continue.
“It was a return when he served and volleyed and I don’t know if I felt it on the return or on the drop shot, but when I ran, I wanted to run faster and faster during the movement, and suddenly felt my hip blocked,” Medvedev said.
“I couldn’t sprint, like when you strain a muscle or have a spasm, which is tough to know which of the two. Working with the physio, I asked if I could make it worse. He said ‘if it’s a tear, then yes. If it’s a spasm, no’.
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“I tried to play and my mind wasn’t letting me to go full. At the end of the set, I was (thinking) if I want to continue, I’ll just try to sprint to the net… When I sprinted I felt pain. So I was like: no need to continue.”
Medvedev is the latest high-profile player to exit the tournament after Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner pulled out before his quarterfinal against Felix Auger Aliassime due to a hip injury.
World No 3 Carlos Alcaraz lost his quarterfinal to Andrey Rublev while managing a right forearm problem that had forced him out of Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
The French Open begins on May 26.
