The second seed in the men’s draw of the tennis event at Tokyo 2020, Daniil Medvedev, was fuming at officials on Wednesday. The Russian was unhappy at being made to play in hot conditions at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan.
Medvedev looked tired and forlorn during his match against Fabio Fognini, and took a few medical breaks during the match against the Italian. He complained to the umpire about playing in the harsh conditions and asked who would be responsible if he died.
When asked if he can finish the match by the umpire, this is what Medvedev said: “I can finish the match, but I can die. If I die, are you going to be responsible?”
The officials allowed both players to take a break between the third and fourth set, where Medvedev took a cold shower, which led to him getting cramps. Temperatures soared to 88° Fahrenheit during the game, which took a toll on both players, especially Medvedev, who took his time to serve.
Following the game, which was won 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 by Medvedev, the Russian shockingly revealed that he couldn’t breathe properly during the game.
“I felt like my diaphragm has blocked. I couldn’t breathe properly. It was the most humid day we had so far — may be the hottest,” said Medvedev.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic stated that the heat in Tokyo was the toughest conditions he has played in on a daily basis.
Some tennis players had it worse than Medvedev in Tokyo as Spanish women’s player Paula Badosa had to retire from her match against Marketa Vondrousova and left the arena in a wheelchair.
Medvedev is in the quarter-finals of the men’s singles competition after defeating Fogini in the third round, India’s Sumit Nagal in the second round, and Alexander Bublik in the first round. He also played a doubles match, which he lost.
There is a lot more tennis left to play in Olympics 2020, in both singles and doubles events. The likes of Djokovic, who is expected to win gold, will have plenty of matches to play as he will not just compete in the men’s singles competition, but also take part in the mixed doubles event.
It remains to be seen if match officials at the Olympics decide to change the schedule to allow players to compete in cooler conditions.
