Daniil Medvedev will not defend his title at the 2024 Qatar Open after announcing his withdrawal through the tournament's official social media channel.
The Russian was a finalist at this year's Australian Open, setting the record for playing the most sets of any player in Grand Slam history. He also set the record for the most time spent on the court in a Grand Slam tournament, clocking a whipping 24 hours and 17 minutes (Open Era).
Despite holding two sets to love to lead against Jannik Sinner in the final, the 28-year-old lost his lead and ended up losing in five sets. He would also set the unwanted record of being the first player to lose two Australian Open finals while leading by two sets (also lost to Nadal in 2022).
And because of that mileage, Medvedev saw it fit to pull out from two events so far. He is currently in second spot in the ATP Race to Turin behind Sinner. But he'll most likely relinquish his World No. 3 ranking to the Italian either this week or before the end of the month.
Medvedev is defending three titles in February and has elected to miss Rotterdam this week and next week's Qatar Open. It is unclear if he will play at the Dubai Championships, although he is currently signed up to play there.
Regarding his Doha absence, the one-time US Open admitted he had not yet recovered from his exertions Down Under and presumably is seeking additional recuperation time. He hopes he will get an opportunity to compete at the event in the future.
"Unfortunately, I am not able to defend my title in Doha this year. I am still not 100% ready to compete. I am very sorry for the tournament, the fans, and the sponsors of the event, who had always treated me so well when I was in Doha. I love playing in Doha and look forward to coming back in the future."
Medvedev joins 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in withdrawing from the ATP 250 tournament in the Middle East, which is a double blow for the tournament organizers.
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