World No.5 Russian Daniil Medvedev progressed to the pre-quarters of the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday after his opponent Kevin Anderson withdrew midway because of an injury.

The moment of anti-climax arrived during the tie-break for the opening set.

Eighth career retirement for Anderson

As unfortunate as the moment was, it wasn’t the first mid-match pullout for the 34-year-old Anderson.

Currently at the 123rd spot in the ATP rankings, the lanky South African retired in the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, an event that preceded the Paris Masters.

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The latest marked the eighth such incident in Anderson’s career, a piece of statistics that he wouldn’t mind erasing from his career profile. 

While this was the first such incident with him at the Rolex Paris Masters, it was his third mid-match pullout in ATP Masters’ 1000 events. 

The latest in Anderson’s career retirement saga may invite questions on his fitness. It may also lead many to question if, at 34, he still has the stamina to survive the rigors of a demanding ATP schedule.

In what may be deemed a strange coincidence, Anderson won his first round encounter at the Rolex Paris Masters after his opponent, Serbian Laslo Djere, conceded the tie with an injury.

Lucky break for Daniil Medvedev

Medvedev was leading the tie-break when Anderson approached the chair umpire and informed him of his decision to forfeit the tie.

Since making the last-4 stage of the US Open, Daniil Medvedev has had a run of unflattering results. His last defeat came at the hands of Anderson.

Anderson’s career has been blighted by injuries since his run to the Wimbledon final in 2018. He conceded the Vienna tie against eventual champion Andrey Rublev after picking up a niggle on his right thigh.

The spate of injuries might force Anderson to prioritize events that he wants to feature in.