Another blow for the organisers as the Madrid Masters reaches its final stages this weekend with the injury retirement of the third seeded Daniil Medvedev during his quarter-final clash with Jiri Lehecka.
Of course I wanted to win the match. I wish Daniil all the best and I hope he will soon be in a good condition to play againJiri Lehecka
For the 22-year-old Czech, it will be his first appearance in a Masters semi-final where he will play Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime, the recipient of a walkover from Jannik Sinner in the last eight.
Fifteen minutes into the match, Medvedev called the trainer and left the court with the scoreline on serve at 3-2, for treatment to his groin area high up on his right leg.
Daniil Medvedev was hindered by the injury
(Photo by Mateo Villalba/Getty Images)
He returned to the fray but it was obvious he wasn’t happy with his movement limited by the ‘strain’ and despite further treatment, he dropped his serve in the ninth game and lost the set in the next game when he decided to throw in the towel.
With Roland Garros starting on May 26, it was probably a good idea and hopefully he will be fully fit for the major in three weeks’ time.
Lehecka, who beat Rafa Nadal in his last professional match in Madrid in the previous round, was obviously delighted at making the last four.
“It’s crazy to win a match like this,” Lehecka, world ranked 31, said after the match.
“Of course I wanted to win the match. I wish Daniil all the best and I hope he will soon be in a good condition to play again.
“Honestly, before this match I was very confident, I had a very clear tactic to go out with. I tried to serve well, keep my game from the other night against Rafa.
“I knew it would be different conditions playing at 8pm, Daniil is also a different player. The first few games I had a good level, then he got injured and it was a totally different game. I’m happy to be in the semis and glad the hard work is paying off.”
His semi-final against Auger Aliassime, the world No.35, will be an intriguing contest and he expects a tight match for a place in the final.
“Felix is a great player and from what we are able to see he is finding his form again,” he said of his forthcoming battle.
“It will be a tough match. He is a great player, his forehand is working well in these conditions, so I will try to rest, prepare well and see what happens tomorrow.”
The other semi-final in the men’s tournament will see USA’s Taylor Fritz take on Russia’s Andrey Rublev.
