Medvedev set for hernia operation

Russian star expected to miss ‘1-2 months’, casting doubt on French Open participation

PARIS:

World number two Daniil Medvedev announced Saturday he will undergo surgery to fix a hernia problem and could be sidelined for up to two months, casting doubt on his participation in next month's French Open.

"The last months I have been playing with a small hernia," the 26-year-old Russian said in a post on Twitter.

"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."

The second Grand Slam of the season takes place in Roland Garros from May 22 to June 5.

Medvedev won the US Open last year but lost the Australian Open final to Rafael Nadal in January.

On Friday, the Russian failed in his bid to reclaim the world number one ranking from Novak Djokovic falling 7-6 (9/7), 6-3 to Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in the Miami Open quarter-finals.

During this match, he looked physically diminished, taking a long break in the locker room between the two sets and asking for the intervention of the physiotherapist after having been repeatedly forced to lean on his racket, back bent, to recover after rallies.

Medvedev said he found it hard to breathe at times and was cramping so badly in the locker room he was like "a fish on a sofa”.

"All match, I wasn't feeling my best," Medvedev said. "After the tough points I was struggling to get my breath. I wasn't recovering fast enough. You just have to fight but in the second set I felt strange.

"I don't often feel like this but it happens sometimes when it's hot. Maybe it was the heat but I was feeling dizzy and tired and there was one game where I couldn't serve anymore. In the locker room I was cramping."