Daniil Medvedev was expected to be the biggest name to play at the Vienna Open 2024. However, the Russian surprised many by pulling out of the ATP 500 tournament. Less than 24 hours after losing to Jannik Sinner in the Six Kings Slam, Medvedev confirmed his decision to withdraw from an event in which he had considerable success in the recent past.
The tournament’s official page took to X to reveal that Medvedev, who won the tournament in 2022 and lost the final in 2023, is down with a shoulder injury. While the US Open 2021 champion is disappointed to miss out on playing in Austria, he assured that he would be back for the Vienna Open in 2025.
Daniil Medvedev has withdrawn from the ATP 500 in Vienna pic.twitter.com/LGVNlUSQfE
— Mario Boccardi (@marioboc17) October 17, 2024
With Sinner also skipping the tournament, it’s a big blow that the two finalists from last year will miss out. One wouldn’t be far-fetched to ask whether Medvedev’s withdrawal has anything to do with him making $1.5 million despite playing in just one match at the Six Kings Slam.
It has been a hot topic of debate in the tennis community about whether this is healthy for the sport, let alone Medvedev deserving it.
The two biggest prize money wins for Medvedev in his career so far have come at the US Open. In 2021, when he beat Djokovic in the final for his first Grand Slam win, Medvedev took home $2.5 million. Two years before that, when Rafael Nadal beat him in the 2019 final, the Russian had to settle for $1.9 million. All this for playing seven best-of-five matches in each of those competitions.
On the other hand, at the Six Kings Slam, Medvedev was beaten in just 70 minutes across two sets by Sinner. However, he made enough dough that could make many players question the payout as well as the importance of playing in ATP tournaments to which they have been loyal for years.
If Saudi Arabia jumps on to the ATP bandwagon and manages to secure an ATP Masters 1000 tournament for Riyadh or Jeddah, Medvedev would prioritize it in the aim to take home around $1.1 million if he wins the competition.
Will Medvedev’s decision give rise to more discussions on the state of tennis?
The Six Kings Slam, though, has shown that Saudi Arabia has taken the first step to hold tennis in a parallel universe successfully and be a powerhouse of the sport, beyond just hosting the WTA Finals and the ATP NextGen Finals.
No matter how much Medvedev is criticized, he is one of the brightest stars of the sport, being in the top 10 consistently for years now. With a tennis schedule that can take the stuffing out of the fittest athlete in any other sport too, the Russian can’t be blamed for trying to protect his body from more rigors, especially towards the end of the season.
Medvedev would perhaps aim directly to play next in the Paris Masters before the ATP Finals in Turin. What would worry his fans is that there is no official timeline given for his recovery yet.
Although questions will be asked on Medvedev’s priorities and honesty regarding his injury, it would be interesting to see how the Russian responds to the scrutiny.
