Daniil Medvedev vented his frustration with Jannik Sinner calling a medical time-out while seemingly dealing with cramps during their Italian Open semifinal on Friday evening. The Russian also offered a possible solution to the problem amid what appears to be becoming a growing concern on the ATP Tour.
Daniil Medvedev Offers Solution to Players Calling Medical Timeouts for Cramps
Tennis players are not allowed to take a medical timeout for muscle cramps and are only permitted to receive treatment during scheduled changeovers or set breaks. This issue has sparked controversy in recent months, as Carlos Alcaraz was granted a medical timeout for leg pain during his Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev, prompting the German to protest.
A similar situation arose during the Italian Open semifinal between Medvedev and Sinner on Friday, when the latter was granted a medical timeout during the third set. However, as the physiotherapist worked on his knee, it appeared he was taking pickle juice, which is typically used for cramps.
Medvedev expressed his frustration towards the chair umpire over Sinner being allowed a medical timeout. During his post-match press conference, the Russian was asked about the incident and offered a solution. He claimed that allowing players to take medical timeouts for cramps would be a simple way to fix the issue.
“I actually have a solution. Allow medical, meaning physio three minutes, when you have cramps. Then there’s no problem because then a player could say, I have cramps, I need a physio. For the moment, it’s not allowed. I completely understand,” he said.
“Of course, if you start cramping – maybe he was not, I have no idea – what you do is you ask a physio and you say, I have a small pain in the leg. Probably I did it as well in my career. If medical would be allowed for cramps, there would be no problem, so this is a solution,” he added.
The match between Medvedev and Sinner was suspended due to rain and completed on Saturday, with the Italian coming out on top. Medvedev pushed Sinner all the way, but ultimately the Italian prevailed 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
The win helped Sinner set up an Italian Open final against Casper Ruud, where he will look to claim a record sixth straight ATP Masters 1000 title. Sinner is currently on a 28-match winning streak and has dropped just one set in Rome.
