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‘Calves Are Notorious’ – Daniil Medvedev’s First Round Opponent Plays With Heavy Strap and Battles Through Pain At French Open 2022

Published 05/25/2022, 6:49 AM EDT

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The Frech Open 2022 recently witnessed a great deal of dedication from the Argentine tennis professional Facundo Bagnis. Bagnis showed up for the first round against the Russian tennis ace Daniil Medvedev with his leg covered in straps. Further, the heavy strapping on the calf portion of his left leg indicated that he was in no state of competing.

Even so, the 32-year-old was adamant about playing against the second seed. When the match commenced, from the spectators in the stadium to the commentators in the box, everyone seemed concerned about Bagnis. As it was tough to watch him fall to the ground in visible agony.

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Facundo Bagnis fighting through the pain

While in the match with the current World No.2, Bagnis had very little chances of winning. As last week he walked out of the Geneva Open because of the same issue. But what pained the audience most was watching him struggle during the match. The former World No. 55, after losing the first set by 2-6, tried his level best to win the second set. However, his body couldn’t cope up with his will and he collapsed under his own weight as he attempted a routine serve at 6-2 5-1 down at the end of the second set.

To which the Eurosport commentator Sam Smith responded, “Is he alright? That is not a good sign! He is going to really hurt himself if he keeps going! Goodness me, that leg did not stand up at all. He can’t land on it!”

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Mark Petchey Smith’s companion agreed to his words and said, “Calves are notorious. I said it right at the start: they do not heal quickly and they get weaker once you have torn them once. This is not the smartest decision by Bagnis. This is swing and a miss stuff from Bagnis at the moment.” Thereafter, Banis lost the second set and the following one 2-6, 2-6. Thus gifting the Russian an easy win.

What’s happening in French Open 2022?

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On one hand, there are players who have lived up to the expectation of their fans such as Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz. While on the other, players such as Naomi Osaka have crushed their fans’ expectations by taking a first round exit.

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Further, the French tennis star and 18 singles title holder Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Tuesday played the last match of the tournament and well as his professional career. He fought tooth and nails against the current World no.8 Casper Ruud in the first round but unfortunately fell prey to Ruud’s march in the French Open.

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The second rounds of the clay-based Grand Slam will begin on 25th May for both men and Women’s category. The quarterfinals will be held towards the end of this month and the last two rounds will be played in the first week of June.

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Written by:

Mahima Verma

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Mahima Verma is a Tennis writer for EssentiallySports. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Hotel Management from IHM Mumbai. A sports enthusiast, particularly Tennis since her childhood, Mahima believes that she is fortunate enough to witness the legends like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams play.
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Edited by:

Deepakshi Chaudhary