Daniil Medvedev announced his withdrawal via the official event social media channel, meaning he would not be defending his title at the 2024 Qatar Open.

The Russian, who played the most sets of any player in Grand Slam history, was a finalist at the Australian Open this year. With a scorching 24 hours and 17 minutes on the court during a Grand Slam tournament, he also broke the record for most time spent on the court (Open Era).

In the championship match, the 28-year-old led Jannik Sinner by two sets to love but ultimately lost in five sets. He would also create an unwelcome record by being the first player to trail by two sets in two Australian Open finals (also lost to Nadal in 2022).

And because to that mileage, Medvedev decided it was appropriate to withdraw from the first two events. He is currently trailing Sinner in second place in the ATP Race to Turin. However, he’ll probably give up the Italian for World No. 3 this week or before the end of the month.

Medvedev has chosen to skip this week’s Qatar Open and Rotterdam, where he is defending three titles in February. Despite being signed up to compete at the Dubai Championships, it is unknown if he will attend.

With regard to his absence from Doha, the former US Open champion acknowledged he was still recovering from his efforts in Australia and is likely looking for more time to heal. He’s hoping to get an opportunity to compete at the event in the future.

Unfortunately, this year I will not be able to defend my title in Doha. I’m still not entirely prepared to compete. I sincerely apologize to the supporters, the tournament, and the event sponsors, who had always looked after me so wonderfully during my time in Doha. I enjoy playing in Doha and hope to return in the future.”

statement from Medvedev via the Instagram feed at the Qatar Open

The tournament organizers have suffered a double blow as Medvedev withdraws from the ATP 250 tournament in the Middle East, joining 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.