The clay court season has started with a hard setback for Daniil Medvedev since the Russian tennis player, second seed of the Monte Carlo Masters 1,000, will not be able to play the tournament after having tested positive for coronavirus.
The ATP published a statement early Tuesday in which they confirmed that Medvedev tested positive for COVID-19 in a test that was carried out this Monday and that, for this reason, he has decided to leave the tournament.
Medvedev himself was disappointed after learning what happened. “It is a great disappointment not to play in Monte Carlo. My goal now is to recover and I can't wait to get back on the circuit as soon and as healthy as possible.”
Medvedev, who must now serve a quarantine period, was on the side of Rafa Nadal in the table of the Masters 1,000 in Monte Carlo and his place will be replaced by the Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero, re-caught from the previous phase.
Medvedev trained this Monday with Nadal
Hours before knowing the positive of the Russian tennis player, Medvedev was training on one of the tracks at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort this Monday afternoon taking advantage of one of the few intervals that the weather conditions in Monaco left the tennis players to train, as seen in a video shared by the ATP.
(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ8RHnF4Y8U (/ embed)
Nadal himself underwent a PCR test on Monday and was negative. However, we will have to wait to know if the Spaniard will have to comply with some extra measure after knowing the positive of Medvedev.
Nadal will regain number 2 if he reaches the final
Medvedev's abandonment in Monte Carlo also has repercussions on the sporting level. Medvedev will not be able to defend the 360 points achieved in Monte Carlo in 2019, so Nadal, who also defends 360 points, could recover the number 2 of the ATP ranking if he reaches the final of the tournament, where he would add 600 as a finalist or 1,000 as a champion. Right now Medvedev is second in the standings with 10,030 points (he will stay with 9,670 points after Monte Carlo), while Nadal is third with 9,670.