Daniil Medvedev Withdraws from Vienna Open After Exhibition Match

Daniil Medvedev has officially withdrawn from the Vienna Open, just days after participating in a lucrative exhibition match in Saudi Arabia, where he earned an impressive £1.2 million despite only playing one match.

Injury Concerns

The world No. 5 recently experienced a shoulder injury, which led to his decision to pull out of the ATP 500 event in Vienna. Medvedev had previously reached the final of this tournament last year, but his participation this time became uncertain following his performance at the Shanghai Masters. There, he suffered a fresh injury that raised doubts about his readiness for upcoming events.

In Saudi Arabia, Medvedev faced Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals of the Six Kings Slam exhibition. Unfortunately for the Russian, he lost the match in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3, in just one hour and nine minutes. Following the loss, Medvedev visibly expressed his frustration by smashing his racket. Despite the defeat, he left Riyadh with a substantial appearance fee of £1.2 million.

After the match against Sinner in Shanghai, Medvedev had mentioned his shoulder discomfort, saying:

“I, unfortunately, had pain on my shoulder, which I didn't think I would have. It started yesterday during the match, but I thought it was nothing, and I still hope it's nothing serious; I'll have to do the checks tomorrow.”

Impact on Upcoming Tournaments

Medvedev's withdrawal raises questions about his participation in future tournaments. He was initially scheduled to compete in three more events: the Six Kings Slam, the Vienna Open, and the Paris Masters. However, with his current shoulder issues, he acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding his future matches:

“Let's see if I play them, especially with the problems with the shoulder.”

The tournament director of the Vienna Open, Herwig Straka, expressed disappointment over the impact of the Saudi exhibition on player availability, stating:

“In general, I am not happy with these exhibitions. The one this week obviously doesn’t please us because it stops us potentially having certain players in our field, including the defending champion Jannik Sinner.”

Changes to the Vienna Draw

With Medvedev’s exit, Alex Michelsen has now secured a spot in the main draw for the Vienna Open. The tournament will be headlined by top seed Alexander Zverev, while defending champion Jannik Sinner did not enter the draw this year.

As the tennis world watches Medvedev's situation closely, his focus will likely shift towards recovery in hopes of participating in the Paris Masters later this month and qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin next month.