MADRID, May 3 (Xinhua) -- World number four tennis player Daniil Medvedev says he is likely to miss the Italian Open after being forced to withdraw from his quarterfinal in the Madrid Masters with a groin injury.
The Russian, who was seeded third in Madrid, had to pull out after losing the first set of his quarterfinal 6-4 against big-hitting Czech Jiri Lehecka, who had earlier knocked home favorite Rafael Nadal out of the tournament.
Medvedev had tried to continue after receiving treatment in the first set, but after playing three more games, he decided to withdraw.
"I felt pain when I went up to the net. It wasn't a good idea to continue," he explained in his post-match press conference late on Thursday night, adding that his participation in Rome and possibly the French Open in Paris could be in doubt.
"We will have to do tests and know how much time I will need to recover. Whether five days or two weeks, I don't know," Medvedev said.
He added that going to Rome was "a risk," even though he would travel as defending champion, explaining that he didn't know if his injury was "something serious or not."
This year's Madrid Masters has been played in unseasonably cool weather, with blustery wind, lower than average temperatures and rain showers, making for sometimes complicated conditions.
Lehecka will play Switzerland's Felix Auger Aliassime in Friday's semifinal. ■
