"I actually have no idea what is fair" - Daniil Medvedev reveals reason behind retiring during Novak Djokovic clash in Astana
Daniil Medvedev revealed that he retired during his match against Novak Djokovic due to an adductor issue in his left leg.
Medvedev and Djokovic locked horns for the first time this season in the semifinals of the Astana Open. Both players produced some sensational tennis, with the Russian winning the opening set 6-4 before the Serb leveled the match by taking the second 7-6(6).
However, Medvedev was forced to retire following the end of the second set, thus allowing Djokovic to book his place in the Astana Open final.
The 26-year-old said in his post-match press conference that he felt a strange pop in his adductor, which he initially mistook for a cramp.
"It’s the second time in my life I retired like this with a pulled muscle. So here, on the second point of the tie-break, I felt a little bit strange pop in my adductor. I first thought maybe it’s a cramp and after the point I was like, `No, probably not a cramp, and during the tie-break, I felt I can play like 5, 10 more points but that’s it," Medvedev was quoted as saying by the Kazakh Tennis Federation.
The Russian added that playing another set would've resulted in him missing half a year instead of a month. He also that he wouldn't have played in the final had he won.
"If I play one more set, I could do it, but I could probably miss half a year instead of one month. So I actually have no idea what is fair. If I won, I would not play the final," Medvedev added.
Daniil Medvedev reveals his mindset during final minutes of the match
Daniil Medvedev said he was aiming to hit some shots during the final minutes of the match and that he would've retired from the tournament had he won and wished Novak Djokovic the best in the final.
I was like, 'OK, I just try to hit some shots. If I manage to win, welI cannot do anything I will retire. If I lose, congrats to Novak, he’s still in great shape'. Good luck to him in the final.
Novak Djokovic will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Astana Open final on Sunday. The Greek booked his place in the title clash by defeating Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Djokovic and Tsitsipas will lock horns for the 10th time, with the Serb leading the head-to-head 7-2.