BREAKING: Daniil Medvedev threatens to quit tennis for another sport before losing to world No.92
Daniil Medvedev threatened to leave tennis for another sport before suffering a shock defeat at the Winston-Salem Open. The world No. 8 took a late entry into the ATP 250 event to get some more matches under his belt ahead of the US Open, after going 1-2 across the Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati.
But things didn’t quite go to plan for the top seed in Winston-Salem, who went on to lose 7-5 6-3 to world No. 92 Martin Damm in his opening match, having received a bye directly into the second round.
The situation really started to unravel for Medvedev early in the second set, when he began muttering to himself. Sitting on his bench while 1-2 down on serve at the changeover, the former world No. 1 was heard talking about another sport while looking up at the umpire.
“It’s so much better than tennis. Literally every sport on this planet, I think, is better. I prefer to play curling than tennis,” Medvedev declared. He continued muttering, but it wasn’t picked up by on-court microphones.
Then, at the next changeover, the top seed contemplated swapping sports. “Maybe I should start a career in pickleball. Not too late. With Jack Sock… in doubles,” he said.
Medvedev didn’t say another word, sipping his water before getting back up. “Medvedev openly suggesting possible career moves. Heard him talking about curling earlier, now it’s pickleball,” commentators said.
The top seed received a code violation for ball abuse in the final game, while Damm successfully served out the biggest win of his career. The American will now face 15th seed Fabian Marozsan for a place in the quarters.
Medvedev came around to shake hands with his conqueror before packing up and leaving the court. And his mid-match comments later caught the attention of Jack Sock himself.
Sock, a former world No. 8, made his professional pickleball debut in May 2023, just three months before he retired from professional tennis. He now competes on the PPA Tour and currently sits at No. 26 in the world in the tour’s rankings.
And the retired tennis star was happy to invite Medvedev to join him. “Come on over brotha dubs for sure,” Sock wrote on Instagram, adding a laughing emoji.
