Geneva Open: Daniil Medvedev returns to action

He was plagued by a "small hernia" after Miami, and reports now state that the operation went well. World number two remarked that he feels great and even squeezed in two weeks of good practice and one week of full training. He feels prepared to enter the French Open before which his debut in Geneva will feature him against former top ten star Richard Gasquet or Australian John Millman in his opening match.

Medvedev has never played on clay after losing in last year's Roland Garros quarter-finals against Stefanos Tsitsipas but is hoping to adjust to the surface quickly. The 26-year-old is hoping to win his first title of the year in Switzerland and his maiden crown on clay. The road ahead is tricky as he might have to face defending champion Casper Ruud and third seed Denis Shapovalov in the tournament. However, the 13-time tour-level champion is optimistic about his form leading into his first tournament in six weeks. After six weeks out, Medvedev received a wild card to have hernia surgery and is all ready for French Open too, which starts one day before the finals in Geneva. 

Dominic Thiem crashes out of Geneva and extends his winless run

Two-time French Open runner-up Dominic Thiem lost again in an injury-affected season and stormed out of the first round in his last tournament before Roland Garros on Monday. Currently ranked 194, the 28-year-old couldn't defeat world number 134 Marco Cecchinato 6-3, 6-4 at the Geneva Open. Thiem's 2022 record has zero wins in five games, all in clay courts. After a ten month-long absence due to a right wrist injury that prevented him from defending his 2020 US Open title, Thiem returned in April. Meanwhile, at Geneva's centre court, Richard Gasquet beat John Millman 6-3, 6-1 to set up a second-round match against top-seeded Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday.

Stan Wawrinka walks out of Geneva Open with injury

Stan Wawrinka's exciting comeback hit a disappointing roadblock as the Swiss pulled out of next week's Geneva Open tennis tournament with an injury. The three-time Grand Slam champion clinched his first win in 15 months on Monday in Rome, having not played for the most part in 2021 due to a foot injury requiring two surgeries. He lost to world one Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open quarter-finals and then declared himself unfit to continue playing.

The 37-year-old has been given a wildcard to play before home fans on the Geneva clay the week before the French Open. Wawrinka's situation has witnessed the player drop to world number 361 in the ATP rankings. Geneva Open will be a 28-man event which will serve as a build-up to the French Open. Last year's winner Casper Ruud, runner-up Denis Shapovalov and Reilly Opelka are other names to watch out.