Recent Wimbledon semifinalist Daniil Medvedev will not be playing at the ATP 500 event in Washington next week. Medvedev had been set to make the tournament his first of the North American hard court swing but that is no longer the case.
No official reason has been given yet by either Medvedev or any of the tournament organizers. There is currently no indication that the 2021 US Open champion has suffered an injury setback. Medvedev has not played any tournaments since achieving a career best result on the grass courts of Wimbledon, and has appeared healthy and well in his posts on social media since then.
Medvedev’s reasoning may be similar to Novak Djokovic’s logic for pulling out of the National Bank Open, who cited “fatigue” as his reason. The US Open is likely to be Medvedev’s best opportunity to win a Grand Slam each year, and hence it is understandable if he is being cautious about not overplaying before the start of the year’s final Grand Slam. The 20-time ATP champion is still scheduled to play at the Masters events in Toronto and Cincinnati, making it seem even more likely the withdrawal is not injury related. Medvedev has won in Toronto and Cincinnati previously, and may be anticipating deep runs at both after his excellent hard court results so far in 2023.
Nonetheless it is disappointing for the fans in Washington. Last year Medvedev chose to play at the ATP 250 event in Los Cabos instead of Washington, and it proved to be a wise decision as he went on to defeat Cameron Norrie in the final to lift the title. The Citi Open organisers will hope he makes an appearance in future.
The withdrawal means that world #9 Taylor Fritz is now the top seed in Washington as things stand. Medvedev has now been replaced in the draw by Yosuke Watanuki. The Japanese player is currently at a career high ranking of #102 in the world, and will be hoping to use the opportunity given to him to push into the Top 100 for the first time.
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