By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday May 3, 2024
Daniil Medvedev’s status for Rome and Roland-Garros is in jeopardy after the Russian injured himself during Thursday's Madrid quarterfinal with Jiri Lehecka and was forced to retire (6-4 RET) at the conclusion of the first set.
After the match Medvedev revealed that he isn’t exactly sure of the severity of the injury and that he would need testing before making any decisions on a plan for the next few weeks.
“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.”
Medvedev, after experiencing what he referred to as a blocked hip, went off court after five games of his match with Lehecka, and when he returned he was never the same. He revealed that he struggled mentally, not knowing if he could make his injury worse by exerting himself against the Czech.
Eventually the World No.4 decided to retire when he tried a sprint to the net and felt too much pain.
“I wanted to run faster and faster during the movement, and suddenly felt my hip, like, kind of blocked,” he said of the original injury. “And I couldn't sprint like when you strain a muscle probably or have a spasm, which is very tough to know which of the two.”
Medvedev said the on-court physio told him that there was a chance he could make the injury worse – but only if it was a tear (not a spasm).
“So then working with the physio, and then asked him if I could make it worse,” Medvedev said. “He said: ‘if it's a tear, then yes. If it's a spasm, no.’
“I tried to go to play, and my mind was not letting me to go full, so at the end of the set, I was, like, ‘if I want to continue, I just try to sprint to the net. If I don't feel anything, I try to go a little bit more full and see how it goes,’ and when I sprinted I felt pain. So I was, like, no, no need to continue.”
Medvedev has a lot to consider in the next few days. He is the defending champion at Rome, which begins next week. The draw will be held on Monday May 6.
It has been a tough week for injuries inside the ATP's Top 5. World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz (right forearm edema) has already pulled out of the event and it we are waiting to hear on Jannik Sinner's status. The second-ranked Italian pulled out of Madrid with right hip soreness.