Hamad Medjedovic’s first-round Wimbledon match against Sebastian Ofner was halted for more than 10 minutes after he pulled up injured and fell to the ground during a tight first-set tiebrea. Ofner and some court officials raced over, and the physio was called to the court. He went straight to the 21-year-old, who still couldn’t get up.
After a delay of around five minutes, Medjedovic continued playing but limped around Court 8 and didn’t win another point. Once he had lost the first set 7-6(8), he left for an off-court medical time-out and returned around 13 minutes later. The world No. 68 played on for a few games but ultimately retired.
After blowing multiple set points in the tiebreak, Medjedovic suffered a nasty fall while leading 8-7 as he failed to chase down a forehand winner from Ofner.
The young Serbian stayed on the court, wincing in agony as his opponent came over to check how he was doing. The trainer came to join him on the ground and started working on Medjedovic’s right thigh and hip area as Ofner waited by his bench for play to resume.
There was applause from the crowd on Court 8 when the 21-year-old finally got up and limped to his bench, regrouping before returning to the baseline to continue play. He gave Ofner a thumbs up but was clearly still struggling, and lost the next two points to drop the set.
Medjedovic walked straight off after losing the tiebreak and received treatment off the court. Players are limited to three minutes for a medical time-out but this does not include the time to evaluate the injury, and the time taken to get to and from the court.
The world No. 68 was gone for around 13 minutes while his team sat in his box on Court 8, looking concerned. Ofner also left the court briefly, then returned and waited on the sidelines to see whether the match would continue.
Medjedovic finally returned with the trainer still nearby and put his stuff back on his bench, preparing to play.
Almost 14 minutes later, he was back at the baseline and serving to start the second set. After going 0-30 down, Medjedovic somehow held on and got himself on the board.
But the physio remained nearby and had another chat with the Serb during a changeover. Ofner reeled off three games in a row to lead 3-1 in the second set, and Medjedovic retired.
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