By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday May 2, 2024
Daniil Medvedev suffered an injury and was forced to retire, sending Jiri Lehecka to his first Masters semifinal in Madrid.
Photo Source: Getty
Daniil Medvedev joined the ranks of the ATP’s walking wounded on Thursday evening, pulling out of his Madrid Open quarterfinal with what looked to be a groin injury, and sending rising Czech Jiri Lehecka through to his maiden Masters semifinal, 6-4 RET.
Medvedev went off court after the fifth game of the opening set, and was never the same after that. He tried valiantly to make a go of it, but ended up pulling the plug with the 30th-seeded Czech locked up the opening set, 6-4.
Lehecka moves into the final four of a wide open Madrid draw, where unseeded Felix Auger-Aliassime waits. Neither player has ever reached a Masters 1000 final.
Auger-Aliassime advanced when Jannik Sinner withdrew from his quarterfinal against the Canadian, citing a right hip issue.
Medvedev, Sinner and Alcaraz (right forearm) all hope to turn up in better health in Rome next week, but their recent struggles raise serious doubts about their potential to do damage at Roland-Garros this year.
With three of the ATP’s top four players enduring physical struggles, the door could be opening for a surprise performer in Paris – or a throwback run from three-time champion Novak Djokovic or even 14-time champion Rafael Nadal. Main draw action begins on May 26 in Paris, while Rome, now a two-week event like Madrid, commences next week.
Medvedev: Unsure when he'll play again
After the match Medvedev told reporters that he had difficulty playing because he wasn't sure if he was endangering himself by doing so. Near the end of the first set he decided to try a sprint and told himself that if he felt pain he would have to stop. Shortly thereafter, he headed to he net to shake hands.
Medvedev, who will defend 1000 points in Rome over the next two weeks, says he will undergo tests this weekend and then work out a plan for when he can begin to play again.
"Now I cannot say more," he said. "Hopefully for sure tomorrow or day after, because normally you need time, MRI, et cetera, to see what it is, and if it's something five days, two weeks, I have no idea. So cannot tell you more."
As for Lehecka, and the other three semifinalists in Madrid: opportunity knocks. Lehecka has been experiencing a breakout season on tour. He reached his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal at Indian Wells and defeated five-time champion Nadal in his previous round in the Spanish Capital. He’ll have a shot against 35th-ranked Auger-Aliassime, who has struggled in 2024, but is finding his footing this week in Spain.
Taylor Fritz and Andrey Rublev will clash for the other final slot. Of the four, Rublev is the only player who has reached a Masters final, and won a Masters title (2023 Monte-Carlo).