Not too surprisingly, Daniil Medvedev has withdrawn from next week’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.
“Unfortunately I will not play in Rotterdam this year,” the second-ranked Russian lamented. “I just got back from Australia and am not ready to compete. Rotterdam is one of the favorite stops on the tour and Richard (Krajicek) does a great job for the players there. I look forward to coming back in the future.”
Medvedev finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open last weekend, losing the final from two sets up. Nadal even found himself serving at 2-3, 0-40 in the third before mounting a miraculous comeback for his record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title.
Medvedev would have been guaranteed to pass Novak Djokovic for the the No. 1 ranking later this month had he triumphed at Melbourne Park. Rotterdam, an ATP 500 tournament, also would have given him a chance. Now the top spot–at least for the time being–will likely come down to Medvedev’s upcoming performance in Acapulco compared to Djokovic’s the same week in Dubai.
As for Rotterdam, it still boasts a strong field despite Medvedev’s absence. Stefanos Tsitsipas is the No. 1 seed followed by Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Hubert Hurkacz, Denis Shapovalov, Cameron Norrie, Aslan Karatsev, and Nikoloz Basilashvili. Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Karen Khachanov, Alex de Minaur, Ugo Humbert, and Botic Van de Zandschulp are part of the unseeded contingent.
Rublev is the defending champion, and his 2021 run to the title included victories over Murray (second round) and Tsitsipas (semifinals).
who ya got?