Tokyo 2020: 'If I Die, Will You Be Responsible?' – Medvedev Survives Heatstoke To Reach Quarters

Daniil Medvedev, who qualified for the quarter-final of the men's singles tennis event at the 2020 Olympic Games on Wednesday, was left frustrated with the extreme heat in Tokyo. The World No. 2 ATP player also questioned the chair umpire if he would take responsibility if he died during the event.

Due to some rainfall earlier, the temperature rose to 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius), but the heat index made it feel like a sizzling 99°F (37°C). Medvedev, who was the first to appeal for a delayed start for tennis at the Olympics due to the hot and humid weather conditions, evidently struggled on the court Wednesday during his third-round match against Italy's Fabio Fogini.

The Russian ace tennis player took a medical timeout and needed his trainer's attention during the second set as he struggled with the heat and an abdominal injury.

Watching Medvedev struggle in between points and resting on his racket, at one point, the chair umpire Carlos Ramos asked him if he could continue playing.

Medvedev replied, "I can finish the match but I can die. If I die, are you going to be responsible?"

After beating Fogini in three sets, Medvedev said in a post-match interview, "I didn't know what to do to feel better. I was ready to just fall down on the court. Even from the first set, I didn't feel good enough with my breathing. That's why I called the physio, I felt like my diaphragm was blocked.

He said he felt it was the most humid day so far in Tokyo. "And then on the second set, I just had darkness in my eyes, like between every point, I didn't know what to do to feel better. Like I was bending over and I couldn't get my breath together so I was ready to just fall down on the court," he added.

Earlier, Spanish player Paula Badosa had to leave the court in a wheelchair because of heatstroke after retiring from her quarterfinal match against Marketa Vondrousova. Badosa also withdrew from a mixed doubles match later with partner Pablo Carreno Busta. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic player Vondrousova, who earlier eliminated local favorite Naomi Osaka, has reached the semi-final.