Daniil Medvedev speaks up about Jannik Sinner just before the Italian Open is paused.
World No. 9 Daniil Medvedev made a complaint about Jannik Sinner during their Italian Open semi-final match. On May 15 in Rome, Medvedev played against the World No. 1, with the winner set to meet Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final on Sunday.
Sinner, 24, won the first set 6-2, but Medvedev came back to win the second 7-5, tying the match. However, Sinner was dealing with some physical problems. He leaned on his racket and called for a medical timeout during the third set, as he looked to be in pain. The medical team treated his thigh, but Medvedev wasn’t very understanding and raised a complaint with the umpire.
Medvedev said in French, “When we call the physio for cramps, we don’t get fined?” According to ATP Tour rules, players can’t take medical timeouts for cramps since they are seen as a fitness issue, not an injury.
Jamie Murray, a former doubles World No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam winner, shared his thoughts while commentating for Sky Sports: “He’s basically getting treated for cramp, his quads are being massaged. It happens a lot, but I don’t agree with it. Now he’s getting the other quad massaged too, which makes it hard to explain that it’s not cramp while he’s drinking pickle juice. Players take advantage of this frequently—Medvedev and ATP physio Paul Ness both know what’s going on.”
The match was paused because of rain and will continue on Saturday, with Sinner leading 6-2, 5-7, 4-2.
The rules say that treatment for muscle cramps can only happen during changeovers or set breaks. Players can’t get a medical timeout just for cramping. If there’s any doubt about the player’s condition, the physiotherapist and tournament doctor make the final call. There can be up to two treatments for cramping during change ends in a match.
If a player claims a medical issue but it turns out to be cramping, the umpire will ask them to continue playing. If cramping is too bad to continue, the player can lose points or games to get to a break for treatment. If the umpire or supervisor thinks a player is pretending to get an advantage, they can give a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.