MOSCOW, March 15. /TASS/. Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev sustained a minor injury at the 2023 Indian Wells tennis tournament, but it will not stop him from continuing in the tournament, Shamil Tarpishchev, the president of the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF), told TASS on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Medvedev defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the fourth round of the Indian Wells tournament 6:7 (5:7), 7:6 (7:5), 7:5. The Russian fell to the ground in the middle of the match’s second set with a leg injury. He called for a medical timeout, asking for a doctor to see him on the court. The match resumed after the doctor bandaged one of his ankles.
"Daniil sustained a slight ankle sprain. If my Chinese doctor had been with him, he could have gotten him back on his feet in one day. However, this is not a serious injury. It will hurt, but it is not critical. He can continue playing," Tarpishchev said.
"If speaking about the match, I would like to point out Daniil’s stamina as he looked better than his opponent in every aspect. Except for his second serve. But he was better than Zverev in everything else," the RTF president added.
In the quarterfinals of the 2023 Indian Wells tennis tournament, which runs until March 19 and offers $8.8 million in prize money, the 5th-seeded Medvedev is set to play against 23rd-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain.
Medvedev, 27, is playing at the tournament in the United States under a neutral status. He is currently ranked 6th in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Rankings. In 2022, he was the number one ranked tennis player in the world for 16 weeks. He is the 2021 US Open Champion in addition to being the winner of 18 ATP tournaments.
Russian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments
On February 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.
Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) ruled on March 1 to suspend the membership of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis federations and also canceled all previously scheduled tennis tournaments in these countries.
On March 14, the ITF also confirmed its prohibition on the Russian and Belarusian national tennis teams from taking part in the 2022 Davis Cup and 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) allowed tennis players from Russia and Belarus to continue participating in WTA and ATP tournaments, but under a neutral status.