Daniil Medvedev has disclosed that he has discussed with his team the possibility of boycotting matches in the future due to scheduling issues.

Medvedev, who had an on-court outburst in his recent Cincinnati Open exit, will soon be back in action at the U.S. Open, where Naomi Osaka has made a big $1 million decision. 

The former world No.1 thinks that play begins too early at numerous tournaments, and he therefore stated he won’t be among those taking to the court first going forward.

Rather, if Medvedev is scheduled to compete during the early morning hours, he has explained how he plans to remain in bed and skip the match entirely – giving his opponent the win regardless of the situation.

Speaking to The Guardian, he said: “I was talking to my team today. I was like: ‘When I’m 35, I might just boycott the 11am matches.’ I’ll be like: ‘I’m not coming. Walkover.’ Like: ‘Yeah, I didn’t wake up. Sorry, guys’.

“In my opinion, 11 is so early. You have to wake up at 6.30 in the morning, where, if you play at night, you wake up at 9am. So it changes the perspective of the match. It’s crazy mentally.”

Match scheduling in tennis has become a contentious issue lately, with several players voicing concerns about the effect that any postponements have on matches, particularly those waiting on the sidelines to play. Multiple players have expressed how they feel disadvantaged when their games are delayed, especially at the last moment.

Jessica Pegula noted: “If you’re in a grand slam and you follow a three-out-of-five-set match, and they go five, you’re screwed.”

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Karen Khachanov also expressed his struggle with the ‘false start’ when a match doesn’t commence at the scheduled time, particularly if it’s a last-minute change after warmups have already occurred.

He stated: “It’s tough to wake yourself up again. Let’s say you warmed up, you are full of adrenaline, you are ready to go on court, and then all of a sudden, there’s another set.

“So you are thinking: ‘OK, should I eat now? Should I just sleep? Should I watch the phone or I just, I don’t know, look at the roof? What do I do? Play cards with my team?’ Sometimes you just don’t really know what to do.”