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Second seed Daniil Medvedev found himself in deep trouble during his third-round encounter against Italy's Fabio Fognini at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday. The Russian struggled to cope with the sweltering conditions at the Ariake Tennis Park and was forced to call on the trainer on multiple occasions.
Medvedev first took a medical timeout in the latter stages of the opening set to have his chest massaged. He then received more treatment while trailing 4-3 in the second set.
Serving in the very next game, Medvedev was embroiled in several long exchanges with Fognini, which took a toll on the Russian. He bent over multiple times between points as he struggled to catch his breath. Medvedev's woes prompted the chair umpire to ask the Russian if he was fit to continue playing.
"I can finish the match, but I can die. If I die, who will take responsibility?" Medvedev replied.
Medvedev, who had previously called for the matches to be played in the evening in cooler temperatures, lost the next two games to concede the set 6-3. The two players then went off court for 10 minutes as the ITF's extreme heat rule came into effect.
The Russian appeared rejuvenated after the break and was able to close out a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win.
Speaking to the media after the match, Medvedev said he had trouble breathing and that he felt like his diaphragm was blocked.
"Even from the first set I didn't feel good enough with my breathing. That's why I called the physio, I felt like my diaphragm was blocked," he said.
"And then on the second set, I just had darkness in my eyes, like between every point, I didn't know what to do to feel better. Like I was bending over and I couldn't get my breath together so I was ready to just fall down on the court."
Medvedev will next face Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta for a place in the semifinals.
"First time in my life I'm not going to answer a question, you should be embarrassed" - Daniil Medvedev calls out journalist over distasteful question
Medvedev was involved in more drama after the match. During the post-match media interaction, the World No. 2 took umbrage at one of the questions pitched to him by a journalist regarding Russia's Olympic ban.
Russia was sanctioned for a series of doping-related scandals which means its athletes are representing the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at the Tokyo Games.
Referring to the ban, a journalist asked Medvedev if Russian athletes carried a stigma of "cheaters" at the Games. Medvedev was left fuming and called for the journalist in question to be removed from the Olympics.
"First time in my life I'm not gonna answer a question. You should be embarrassed of yourself. I think you should fire him from the Olympics, I don't wanna see him again," Medvedev said.
