Jiri Lehecka showed his classy side by wishing Daniil Medvedev well after reaching the Madrid Open semi-finals at the Russian’s expense. Medvedev was forced to withdraw due to injury after the opening set, allowing Lehecka to book his place in the last four.
Medvedev called a medical timeout in the sixth game, with the 28-year-old needing treatment on his upper right leg after complaining about his range of movement. He looked uncomfortable from then on as Lehecka pounced on two break points before a clinical finish saw him clinch the first set.
The match was then brought to a premature end, with Medvedev pulling out of the contest before the start of set two. Lehecka kept it classy after being awarded the victory as he wished his opponent a speedy recovery, writing on a camera lens: “Get well soon Daniil.”
Medvedev later explained that he chose to retire from the match after feeling a twinge in his hip while returning a volley. He admitted that he did not know what the specific injury was, but opted to withdraw after being warned by his physio that playing on would risk making it worse.
“I felt it on a return when he served and volleyed,” explained Medvedev. “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, like, kind of blocked.
“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. So then working with the physio, I asked him if I could make it worse. He said if it’s a tear, then yes. If it’s a spasm, no.”
Medvedev added that he is set to undergo a scan over the coming days, which will determine the severity of the injury. He will be hoping that it is nothing serious as he prepares to defend his Italian Open title next week, while he will also be desperate to be fit for the French Open later this month.
“I cannot say more,” he said. “Hopefully for sure tomorrow or the day after, because normally you need time, MRI, to see what it is, and if it’s something five days, two weeks, I have no idea. So I cannot tell you more.
“I need to see the images, speak to my team. Yeah, because it sure would be good to come back there [to the Italian Open] after winning last year. I just need to see what it is, because right now I basically don’t know if it’s very serious, just serious, or not serious. No idea.”
