Daniil Medvedev retires from Qatar Open quarter-finals following food poisoning

World no. 6 Daniil Medvedev's fine run in Doha faced an unfortunate halt. His journey came to an unexpected end in the quarter-finals, where he had to retire after the first set against Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Daniil Medvedev has faced some problems this season, with a 1-1 record at both the Australian Open and Rotterdam. However, he showed signs of improvement in Doha, managing to win back-to-back matches for the first time in 2025.

Medvedev reveals the reason for retirement 

Auger Aliassime had already won the first set 6-3, when Medvedev decided to quit the match. In his explanation, he mentioned experiencing food poisoning but expressed optimism about recovering in time for next week's event in Dubai, where he hopes to continue his competitive drive.

"Unfortunately I had food poisoning. Very disappointed to end my run here in Doha like this as I feel like I was playing well. I look forward to coming back next year." Medvedev said.

Medvedev's retirement caught his rival off guard, as there had been no indication of any issues in his performance. Daniil maintained contact during the initial stages of the set before experiencing consecutive breaks and leaving the court after only thirty minutes.

Auger-Aliassime delivered a strong performance on his serve, conceding just four points across four service games. He avoided break points and effectively applied pressure on his Russian opponent. Currently ranked world no. 6, he started the match with solid serving and took a 3-2 lead, but ultimately struggled to maintain his momentum on the court.

During his match, there were no noticeable indicators that Medvedev was struggling, and his Canadian opponent was unaware that Medvedev was about to retire. While his opponent sat on the bench for the end-of-set changeover, Medvedev approached umpire Mohamed Lahyani for a conversation who then called off the match.