Medvedev issues update amid Wimbledon uncertainty
Russian tennis ace Daniil Medvedev has updated fans on his recovery from injury after suffering from a small hernia that could leave him out of action for up to two months.
On April 2, the reigning US Open champion tweeted that he and his team had decided "to have a small procedure done to fix the problem" he had been playing through "for the last months".
A few minutes later, he then uploaded a photo of just a foot showing while appearing to be laid up in a hospital bed. Enjoying a stream of an English Premier League match, Medvedev said he was already "recovering".
Nine days later, Medvedev has provided an update on his recovery, this time via an Instagram story, and already appears to be in improved spirits.
"It's been a week since my surgery has been done," he wrote to caption a photo of himself with a headset on and a joypad in hand while sat gaming.
"I'm feeling way better," the 26-year-old added, before concluding that he will start "easy workouts in a few days" with only "PS workouts possible" at the moment in relation to his preferred console.
With the clay-court season now getting underway, Medvedev faces a race against time to be fit for May 22 when the French Open kicks off in Paris.
Medvedev's Australian Open final opponent this year Rafael Nadal is currently facing his own battle with the clock after a rib stress fracture.
Already returning to the courts is Novak Djokovic, though, who Medvedev beat at Flushing Meadows to scoop his first grand slam last Autumn.
While Medvedev briefly dethroned the Serb as the world's best player, Djokovic has since returned to the top of the pack and will begin his second comeback of 2022 by facing Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Monaco Masters last 32 on Tuesday.
Looking to put his visa and vaccine scandal in Australia behind him, Djokovic has one eye on defending his French Open crown too.
Should Medvedev not be able to make that Grand Slam, his attention will turn to Wimbledon where he could yet be banned from participating.
British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston revealed there have been "discussions" between UK authorities and the All England Lawn Tennis Club ahead of the SW19 tournament which kicks off on June 27.
Amid Russia's military operation in Ukraine, which has seen Russian athletes banned from competing in a number of international events, Huddleston also told local media that Medvedev and other Russian players must give him "assurance in a written declaration that they are not receiving money from Putin, Russia or Belarus [and] that they will not be making supportive comments of Putin, Russia or Belarus."
Unlike other federations that have gone for an all-out ban, the ATP is currently allowing the likes of Medvedev to compete under neutral status.
Last week, Wimbledon officials issued a statement saying they had "noted the UK government’s guidance regarding the attendance of Russian and Belarusian individuals in a neutral capacity at sporting events in the UK.”
“This remains a complex and challenging issue, and we are continuing to engage in discussion with the UK government, the LTA [Lawn Tennis Association], and the international governing bodies of tennis," the statement continued, before it was revealed that an announcement should be expected in mid-May when Medvedev could be returning to action.
