Earlier in April, world number 2 Daniil Medvedev had to undergo a small hernia surgery, which kept him away for the majority of the clay-court season, but now the 2021 US Open champion is back.
Clay is, without a doubt, the least preferred surface of Daniil Medvedev, who showed that he doesn't like to play on it many times during his career. Therefore, choosing the time of the surgery was a no-brainer for the Russian, as the clay-court swing got underway.
He missed a significant part of the clay-court season, but considering his previous results on the surface and his dislike for it, he significantly doesn't regret it, and he got time to reset not just physically but also mentally during the season, something many players can not do.
Only recently, the Russian joked that he could practice only on his PlayStation, but since then, he has progressed quite a lot. Now, a few weeks after the surgery, Medvedev is back and ready to practice again.
On Tuesday, he practiced at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, but instead of choosing a clay court, the 2022 Australian Open finalist has decided to practice on a hard court. Although it might be just to prevent an injury on the clay, a surface on which he's not as comfortable, there can be also another reason behind it.
Medvedev's decision might hint at his upcoming actions as he could skip the whole clay-court swing, and with a possible ban for Russian players at the 2022 Wimbledon, the next tournament that Medvedev will play might be on a hard court.
While the extended break will certainly have a significant effect on his rankings, it may help him to prepare efficiently for the remainder of the 2022 season, which will be on the hard, or hard indoor courts, which her prefers.