"Why the f*ck touch a sore leg if you're not an expert?"- Tennis fans side with Daniil Medvedev stopping Alexander Zverev from checking his ankle

Daniil Medvedev slipped before Zverev tried to help
Daniil Medvedev slipped before Zverev tried to help

During his fourth-round match at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open, Daniil Medvedev rolled his ankle, and when his opponent Alexander Zverev came to check on him and tried to examine his leg, the Russian told him to stay away so that the physiotherapist could inspect it. Tennis fans sided with Medvedev, criticizing the German star and deeming it right for the World No. 6 to have stopped him.

Zverev, the 12th seed, took the first set in an extremely hard-fought battle. During a rally in the sixth game of the second set, Medvedev lost his footing and rolled his ankle, falling to the floor rather concerningly.

The 25-year-old German rushed to check on him but when he touched his ankle, the Russian warned him away. After getting his ankle checked by the on-site medical staff and heavily taped, the fifth-seed resumed play and eventually won the match 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5.

In June 2022, Zverev suffered a gruesome ankle injury in a similar manner during his French Open semifinal match against Rafael Nadal. While going for a forehand, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist twisted his right ankle, tearing all three of the lateral ligaments.

While a fan remarked that Zverev was just trying to help Medvedev since he had gone through a similar kind of pain, others stated that he should have stayed away as he was not a medical professional.

"Can you imagine if Rafa walked up to Zverev at RG last year and accidentally snapped another few ligaments in his ankle on top of the seven? Boy don’t touch it," a fan tweeted.
"Zverev recently rolled his ankle - so I’m not surprised at his instinct to help - although Daniil was right in refusing. Might make the issue worse unintentionally," a user wrote.
"I love this drama. Fortunately, my darling is well educated," another tweet read.

Here are a few more reactions:


"I thought I wasn't going to be able to play" - Daniil Medvedev on his ankle injury

Daniil Medvedev during the BNP Paribas Open
Daniil Medvedev during the BNP Paribas Open

After winning titles in Rotterdam, Doha, and Dubai, Daniil Medvedev has now extended his winning streak to 17 matches. Speaking about his ankle injury after the match, the Russian, in a lot of pain, stated that he would conduct a scan to see if he can continue playing in the 2023 BNP Paribas Open or not.

"When I twisted [my ankle], I thought I was going to stand up just fine," Daniil Medvedev said. "But the pain started growing very fast, so I was like, 'That is not a good sign'. I felt like I didn't break it but I felt that one of the ligaments was a little injured, so I thought I wasn't going to be able to play."
"It was the first time in my life that the physio had taped my ankle, so I decided to give it a try. What was surprising was it was much easier to run than walk. So when I was walking, I was limping and then I was running fine. When the adrenaline goes down, it will be pretty painful, so I am going to probably do a scan to see what it is and if I can continue to play," he added.

Daniil Medvedev has reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells for the first time and is scheduled to face Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.