Andy Roddick pokes holes in Daniil Medvedev’s cramping rule idea amid Jannik Sinner ‘controversy’
Andy Roddick believes there is merit to Daniil Medvedev’s idea to allow medical timeouts for cramps – but still feels players will “abuse” such changes.
When Jannik Sinner was a break up on Medvedev in the third set of their Italian Open semi-final, the four-time major winner called for the trainer due to an apparent leg issue.
Medvedev was not best pleased with Sinner‘s actions when he appeared to be cramping. Indeed, ATP Tour rules state you can only receive treatment for cramps at the change of ends and not for a medical timeout.
The Russian said to chair umpire Aurelie Tourte, “When we call the physio for cramps, we don’t get fined?”
After play was suspended due to rain, the world No 1 closed out the victory in three sets, before Medvedev came up with an idea to allow medical timeouts for cramping.
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He told reporters, “I actually have a solution: allow physical, allow medical treatment for helps. Sorry. Allow medical, meaning physio three minutes, when you have cramps.
“Then there’s no problem because then a player could say, I have cramps, I need a physio. For the moment, it’s not allowed. I completely understand.”
Now, former US Open champion Roddick has weighed in on the matter.
He said on the latest episode of Served, “Obviously, the controversy, late in the third set, Sinner looked like he was breathing heavily, sat on a switch over late in the second set.
“And you’re going, ‘Oh, this is the only way that you can get to him is to take his legs away’, and then maybe have that effect the way that compromises decision-making a little bit, get some work done for what looked like cramps.
“You have to tell the trainer, it’s not cramps. Similar to what we saw with [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Alexander] Zverev in Australia. I understand the reason for the rule. And I generally agree with the reason for the rule.
“I totally get where Meddy’s coming from because you can just lie and be like, ‘Oh yeah, I have a leg injury’. Well, what is it? It’s both quads from my knee to my hips. And I would like you to use a wide massage to, to fix.”
Former world No 1 Roddick went a step further than Medvedev, saying if you do get medical timeouts for cramping, it should be before you serve.
He added, “I have a caveat to Meddy’s proposed rule change. I agree with it. Also, you should not be able to call a trainer. Let’s assume that, magic wand goes and it’s changed, you should not be able to call for the trainer for cramps before someone else’s serve. People are going to abuse this rule. They’re going to ice the kicker.
“You’re going to come out not having hit a serve for six minutes and or played a point for six minutes. You call the trainer, they come out. All in all, it takes more than three minutes, right? Maybe it’s five.
“You should not be able to use it against the player that is physically fit and has to serve, right? And maybe that means it’s not on a switch over.
“Maybe that means, I don’t know what, but it would really p*** me off if I was playing someone and you could say you had cramps in the second set and you could ice someone who’s trying to serve a set out or something like that. There is a way to abuse it.”
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