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Daniil Medvedev has pulled out of the 2024 Vienna Open citing a shoulder problem. This development comes on the back of the Russian's bizarre experience at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Medvedev featured in the exhibition event but suffered an embarrassing exit following yet another loss to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. However, he did take home $1.5 million, and fans have now reacted to the Russian's Vienna Open withdrawal.
Up until the 2023 China Open, Medvedev had a 6-0 lead over Sinner in their ATP Tour head-to-head. However, the Italian's drastic improvement in form has completely changed the complexion of their rivalry. Their head-to-head now stands at 7-7. While the pair's clash at the Six Kings Slam did not count as an official match, it was once again a reflection of how the Russian has struggled against Sinner in recent times.
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A completely one-sided first set saw Sinner bagel Medvedev (6-0). The Russian did manage to win three games in the second set, but ultimately, the World No. 1 won it 6-3 to reach the semifinals and oust Medvedev from the tournament. Despite his dismal display, the 2021 US Open champion won $1.5 million simply for turning up at the exhibition event.
Not long after, the official Instagram handle of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna confirmed that Daniil Medvedev would not be featuring in the 2024 edition of the ATP 500-level tournament. Reportedly, the former World No. 1 is suffering from a shoulder issue. This confirmation later surfaced on X (formerly Twitter). Medvedev won the Vienna Open in 2022 and finished as the runner-up last year after losing to Sinner in the final.
Fans had a field day as they reacted to the news. One set of them poked fun at Daniil Medvedev, suggesting that the Russian is not really experiencing any shoulder problem and wants to enjoy the $1.5 million he earned from his brief trip to Saudi Arabia for the Six Kings Slam.
"He got that $1.5m check for the 3 games in Riyadh and said to the main tour “f**k this s**t I’m out!” a fan wrote.
"Hurt his shoulder carrying that bag home from Saudi," commented another fan.
"He needs to spend some of that dough," yet another chimed in.
"Medvedev after this week," a fan wrote, followed by a brief video of former WWE CEO Vince McMahon sniffing bank notes.
There were others who suggested that the reason behind Medvedev's Vienna Open withdrawal was his latest loss to Sinner in Saudi Arabia.
"He literally said yesterday that his shoulder was fine. He's too embarrassed to play after Sinner destroyed him," wrote one fan.
"LoL he got tired of being owned by Sinner, it's good tho time to strategize," another stated.
"Well, I really like Daniil... But I didn't see this problem when he goes to Saudi Arabia play a match and won 1.5M$..." another weighed in.
Initial hints of Medvedev's shoulder issue surfaced during his fourth-round win over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters. It seemingly got worse during his eventual quarterfinal loss to Sinner at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Jannik Sinner had said "sorry" to Daniil Medvedev in the immediate aftermath of their Rolex Shanghai Masters 2024 quarterfinal clash
In the 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters quarterfinals, Jannik Sinner made short work of Daniil Medvedev, winning the match 6-1, 6-4. The Italian was aided in his efforts by a seemingly injury-stricken Medvedev, whose shoulder problem apparently worsened after initially surfacing during his match against Tsitsipas in the previous round.
After the match, when the duo came together at the net for the customary post-match handshake, Sinner told Medvedev:
"Sorry for your shoulder." (at 4:30)
To this, the Russian replied:
"Yeah yeah no problem. Thanks man."
Alarmingly for Daniil Medvedev, despite his World No. 5 ranking, he has not won a title since the 2023 Italian Open, even though he has come close on several occasions.
Medvedev's most notable final appearances since then came at the 2023 US Open, where Novak Djokovic avenged his loss to the Russian in the 2021 final of the hardcourt Major. He also reached the 2024 Australian Open final, which he squandered to Sinner despite having established a two-sets-and-a-break advantage over the Italian at one point.
