Daniil Medvedev Overcomes Pain to Claim Hard-Fought Shanghai Win

Daniil Medvedev’s 2025 season has been marked by a tough struggle with cramping, which really flared up right before the Shanghai Masters. Previously,  at the China Open in Beijing, Medvedev had to pull out of his semi-final match against American Learner Tien. He was down 5-7, 7-5, 4-0 when he experienced a really strange and intense cramping episode.

The Russian later opened up about the whole experience, saying, “Cramps started in the hand, went into the leg, the glutes, then in the locker room my abs cramped as well. It was more mental than physical. I’ve rarely experienced this..maybe 3 times in my whole career. It’s quite painful.” This incident paved the way for his next meeting in Shanghai, where he would find himself up in a similar situation during a thrilling.

As reported by edgeAI on X, the former world No. 1 was struck by cramps in both of his quads as he was set to serve while leading 5-4 against Alex de Minaur in the second set. But this time, Daniil Medvedev didn’t hold back; he stuck it out on the hard court and came out on top against his Australian rival with a score of 6-4, 6-4.

But, you know, those cramps had also bothered him in a couple of rounds earlier. In a tense fourth-round rematch at the same event, Medvedev ended up in a situation that felt all too familiar and quite troubling. After splitting the first two sets in a tense battle with plenty of momentum shifts, the former world No. 1 suddenly got hit by cramps in his right leg right at the start of the second-set tiebreaker. Medvedev was really having a tough time with his movement, and since he couldn’t take a medical timeout without losing the tiebreaker, he just had to push through the points.

Meanwhile, American Learner Tien managed to even things up in the match. The physical struggle was really intense, and during a changeover, Medvedev actually asked a ball girl to help him get his sweat-soaked shirt off because he was cramping. In the end, it was ATP supervisor Gerry Armstrong who stepped in to help out. Even with the clear pain and frustration, the Russian tennis star managed to snag a crucial break of serve in the ninth game of the final set, wrapping up a 7-6 (6), 6-7 (1), 6-4 win.