Daniil Medvedev was forced to retire from his quarterfinal match against Jiri Lehecka at the 2024 Madrid Open due to an injury, adding to the growing list of injured ATP players ahead of the French Open.
Medvedev sustained a groin injury during the first set against Lehecka on Thursday and called for medical assistance. Despite taking an off-court medical timeout, the Russian world number four continued to struggle during the rest of the match, expressing fear of worsening his injury. After losing the first set 6-4, Medvedev decided to withdraw, allowing Lehecka to advance to his first Masters 1000 semifinal, where he will face Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Jannik Sinner, who withdrew from his quarterfinal against Auger-Aliassime due to a hip injury sustained in Madrid, also has his sights on the Italian Open next week in preparation for the French Open. Meanwhile, world number three Carlos Alcaraz has been managing a forearm injury, which previously forced him to withdraw from the Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open. The Spaniard made it to the quarterfinals in Madrid, only to lose to Andrey Rublev.
This injury comes at a particularly unfortunate time for Medvedev, who is the defending champion at the Italian Open next week. Last year, the Russian claimed his first-ever clay title in Rome by defeating Holger Rune in the final. However, Medvedev was unable to capitalize on this success at the French Open, suffering a surprising loss to Thiago Seyboth Wild in the first round. At last year’s Roland Garros, Alcaraz advanced to the semifinals, while Sinner was eliminated in the second round.
