World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev has signed up to play the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the tournament announced on Wednesday. Medvedev, 26, is set to make his fourth appearance on the grass courts of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Medvedev made three consecutive appearances in ‘s-Hertogenbosch between 2016 and 2018. Medvedev reached the quarterfinal in 2017, while he was beaten in the round-of-16 in 2016 and 2018. The Libema Open kicks off on June 4, the opening week of the grass season.
Also, the Libema Open starts the day after the French Open final. Medvedev signing up to play ‘s-Hertogenbosch could mean he is planning to skip the French Open.
Medvedev recovering from a hernia surgery
“Hi everyone.
The last months I have been playing with a small hernia. Together with my team I have decided to have a small procedure done to fix the problem. I will likely be out for the next 1 – 2 months and will work hard to be back on court soon.
Thanks for all the support,” Medvedev announced on April 2. Medvedev is planning to kick off his grass season in ‘s-Hertogenbosch but it likely won’t be a preparation for Wimbledon. On Wednesday, Wimbledon announced a ban for all Russian and Belarusian players from competing at The Championships.
Nikola Pilic, who worked with Novak Djokovic in the past, called it a shame. “It’s just a shame,” Pilic told Serbian outlet Kurir. “Did they do something similar when the Americans entered Iraq and killed over a million civilians there? “Did they ban their tennis players from playing? They are exaggerating in any sense.”
Medvedev, who underwent the surgery after Miami, could easily skip the entire clay season and return in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. “When you haven’t played for a month, you need so much time after the operation and even more to come back… We’ve seen now with Nole, how it goes,” Pilic added.
