"He was in for a fight, he wanted to play" - Martina Navratilova on why Novak Djokovic was 'disappointed' to see Daniil Medvedev pull out of Astana Open SF

Tennis great Martina Navratilova has reacted to Novak Djokovic's semifinal win at the 2022 Astana Open against Daniil Medvedev and called the Serb "a fierce competitor" who does not shy away from fighting it out.

Daniil Medvedev unexpectedly withdrew from the ATP tournament in Astana, propelling Novak Djokovic to the title bout with a score of 4-6, 7-6(6). Even Djokovic originally seemed astonished when the Russian decided to retire before the decisive set.

Martina Navratilova expressed her appreciation for the Serb on Twitter in light of this, setting aside their differences on the COVID-19 vaccination. The 18-time Grand Slam champion was all praise for Djokovic's competitive spirit, adding that the Serb was ready for battle and that he was disappointed to win with the help of a retirement.

"Novak Djokovic just showed what a fierce competitor he truly is- lost the first set to Medvedev, won the second set 8-6 in the TB and then Medvedev, out of nowhere, defaults. And it was clear Novak was disappointed as he was in for a fight. He wanted to play:), #classact," Navratilova wrote.

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"It's a shame that my body let me down a little bit" - Daniil Medvedev on his injury after retiring against Novak Djokovic

BNP Paribas Open - Day 8

After his withdrawal, Daniil Medvedev elaborated on his injury during his press conference. The former No. 1 claimed that during the tiebreaker, he felt a click on his leg and even a little lightheadedness afterwards.

He acknowledged that even if he prevailed, he knew he wouldn't be able to participate in the title bout, so he left the game in the middle to avoid fully tearing his muscle.

"At 1-0 on the tiebreaker, I felt a click in my left leg. At first, for a second right during the draw, I thought that maybe it was a cramp – the match was hard. After the point, I felt that most likely it was not a cramp and that, apparently, for the first time, as in football, I felt that I pulled a muscle, right during the game," Daniil Medvedev said.

"Even my head was a little dizzy, I did not know what to do, because I realized that even if I suddenly won, tomorrow, most likely, I will not go to the match. I knew that I could still finish 5-10 points, so the tiebreaker played as best I could, but if the third set continued, I could completely tear the muscle, and this does not make any sense. It's a shame, it's annoying, but it happens," he added.