Before the quarter-final tie against Jiri Lehecka, Daniil Medvedev had racked up a 2024 season record of 22 wins and five losses. He reached the final of the Australian Open which he lost to Jannik Sinner. His next tournament was the Dubai Tennis Championships where he reached the semifinals but lost in straight sets to Ugo Humbert.
He next competed in the Indian Wells Open where he went all the way to his second final of the season. He lost to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. In his next tournament, the Miami Open, his loss in the semifinal made it his fourth semifinal of the season and his second loss to Jannik Sinner in 2024.
The Monte Carlo Masters in France was his third ATP Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the year, and the last tournament before the Madrid Open. It was less than eventful for the world number 4 as he got knocked out in the third round by his Russian compatriot, Karen Khachanov.
An Evenly Matched Contest Till Calling The Physio
In the early games of the first set, Lehecka came out firing like he did against Rafael Nadal. He used the perfect wide serve and drop shot combo regularly to make Medvedev run around the court often.
Medvedev was also clutch as usual, throwing excellent forehand winners down the line. When the scoreboard read 3-2, Medvedev called for the physio. The trainer checked his upper right thigh while he claimed he basically couldn’t move.
After examining him a bit further, the physio took the treatments off the court. When he returned, serving at 3-3, it was clear he was visibly struggling, especially when he had to serve to save two break points. It looked like the issue could be a groin problem.
Medvedev Fights Through The Pain
Daniil Medvedev is forced to retire at the end of the first set, Jiri Lehecka is through to his first career Masters 1000 semi-final 🇨🇿#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/1QXmn0RgXc
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 2, 2024
At 4-3, Medvedev got the physio involved again, but this time for an on-court treatment. In the ninth game of the set, his restricted movements, especially at the net, became more pronounced. It was obvious at that point that it was a matter of time and he won’t be able to finish the match.
Lehecka then broke his serve in that game and served out the set. It was at this point that Medvedev pulled the plug. Lehecka wrote: “Get well soon Danill” on the camera. This year’s semifinal will be the Czech’s first career Masters 1000 semi-final.
With Lehecka (31) facing Felix Auger-Aliassime (35) in the semifinal, it’s the first time that more than one player outside the top 20 would compete in the semifinals of a Masters 1000 tournament since the last Madrid Open where Aslan Karatsev faced Jan-Lennard Struff.
Daniil Medvedev’s Madrid Open Till Now
Daniil Medvedev entered the Madrid Open tournament ranked number 4 in the world behind Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz.
Seeded number 3, he got a bye to the second round where he faced Matteo Arnaldi. After losing the first set to an Arnaldi that was firing on all cylinders, he recovered to win the next two sets 6-4, 6-4.
Next, he faced the fifth-highest-ranked American on the ATP tour, Sebastian Korda. After a tight first set where he succumbed in the 12th game to lose 5-7, he recovered as he did against Arnaldi to win the remaining two sets.
Although he defeated Alexander Bublik in the fourth round in straight sets, it was anything but straightforward. He needed a tie-break in the first set to win it before securing a break in the second to see out the match.
Also Read: Setback in Madrid: Carlos Alcaraz’s Defeat Threatens World No. 1 Aspirations
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