Daniil Medvedev believes there is no correlation between the extension of Masters 1000 events and players getting injured after he was forced to withdraw from his quarter-final match at the Madrid Open.
The former US Open champion called it quits after dropping the first set to Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka due to a leg problem. Medvedev had treatment on the upper part of his leg after the first five games played and then underwent further treatment two games later. After falling behind 6-4, the Russian told the umpire he could not continue playing.
“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 commented during his press conference.
“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’.
“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’s injury setback occurred a day after top seed Jannik Siner was forced to pull out of the event because of a hip issue. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz is still nursing a forearm problem that ruled him out of two tournaments earlier in the season.
Such injuries are common in the world of tennis which is known for its packed schedule. Since the start of March, there have been four Masters 1000 events with three of those taking place over two weeks. Medvedev and Sinner reached the semi-finals or better at both Indian Wells and Miami. Meanwhile, Alcaraz won Indian Wells.
“Injuries are part of the sport,” said Medvedev.
“For sure the better you play, the more matches you play, the more risk you have of getting tired in your body, and when you get tired, having injuries.”
“The turnarounds between surfaces is fast. If you play good in Miami, you have maybe four, five days before Monte-Carlo to practice on clay.”
In Medvedev’s view the threat of injury is caused by the short time players have to get use to various surfaces instead of the duration of tournaments. In the women’s draw, both Caroline Garcia and Elena Rybakina have criticised the two-week format in Madrid by describing it as too long.
“I like this two-week format. I mean, it’s not two weeks. It’s one-and-a-half. I like it when there is a day off (between matches).” He said.
“In my opinion, it brings more importance because then you kind of know if you want to do well on the Tour, you kind of have to play these Masters.
“The other tournaments you have to choose wisely because if you play good at a two-week Masters, there are not many weeks where you can add the tournaments.
“I like it, and I don’t think injuries would come from this format.”
Medvedev will undergo an MRI on his leg to see the extent of his latest injury before deciding on playing at the Italian Open where he is the defending champion. He faces a race against time to be fit for the French Open which begins on May 26th.
