Tennis news today: Daniil Medvedev loses comeback match in Geneva, Rafael Nadal schedules practice session upon arrival in Paris | 18 May 2022

World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev returned to action after six weeks at the Geneva Open. However, his return didn't go to plan as he lost to Richard Gasquet in straight sets in the second round.

Rafael Nadal, who's set to arrive in Paris on Wednesday for the French Open, will begin practicing immediately.

2019 French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova will miss the French Open after undergoing wrist surgery. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who was the runner-up in Paris last year, is set to skip the rest of the season, including Roland Garros, due to an injury.

Top players, including Naomi Osaka, Maria Sakkari and Jannik Sinner, have already arrived in Paris and commenced their preparations for the French Open. Here's a round-up of the day's news:

Daniil Medvedev's comeback cut short by Richard Gasquet

2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev returned to action at the Geneva Open after undergoing hernia surgery a few weeks ago. The top seed received a bye into the second round, where he was up against Richard Gasquet.

The opening set was rather one-sided, as Medvedev was off to a slow start. The Russian trailed in the second set as well, but fought back to level the score and push the set to a tie-break.

However, Medvedev came up short, losing 6-2, 7-6 (5). He'll now head to the French Open without much practice on clay and zero wins on the surface. Medvedev's win-loss record for 2022 now stands at 16-6.

Rafael Nadal scheduled for evening practice session ahead of French Open

Rafael Nadal, who's seeking a 22nd Grand Slam title at the French Open, is set to arrive in Paris on Wednesday. The Spaniard will get down to business straight away, as he's scheduled for a practice session later that evening. Nadal will practice on Court Philippe-Chatrier at 6 p.m. local time.

Wednesday's practice schedule is 🔥

Ticketing 🎟️ bit.ly/3LmEJvg

#RolandGarros https://t.co/zjRvSkrSmp

Nadal's foot injury has been bothering him recently and even resulted in his early exit from the Italian Open. Nevertheless, he's still determined to give it a go at his most successful Grand Slam tournament.

Marketa Vondrousova to French Open

Marketa Vondrousova, who lost to Ashleigh Barty in the final of the 2019 French Open, won't be competing in Paris this year. The Czech player, who has battled injuries throughout her career, suffered yet another setback. She recently underwent wrist surgery after being in pain for a few weeks and will be out of action for a while.

Vondrousova wrote on Instagram:

"Hey guys👋🏻The last few weeks were not easy☹️I have been experiencing recurring pain in my wrist and after seeing a couple of doctors I decided to get this small surgery done to be able to play pain free. Staying positive through the recovery and cant wait to be back on the court soon💪🏼🥰🤍"

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Vondrousova has competed in only one tournament during the clay season, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. She lost to Ons Jabeur in three sets in the first round.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to be sidelined for the rest of the season

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who reached the final of the French Open last year, is set to miss the remainder of the season due to a lingering injury. She hasn't competed much this year and has been in pain whenever she has taken to the court.

The Russian has now decided to take the year off to recover and come back even stronger for next season. Pavlyuchenkova took to Instagram to announce the decision:

"Hi all ! I’m very sad to say , that i’m forced to withdraw from Roland Garros @rolandgarros and the rest of the tournaments this year! I have been playing this in my head for the last week and it has been a really tough decision to make, as Roland Garros was always very special to me , especially after a dream run last year."

She further added:

"But due to the pain for a long time, now the injury is limiting me physically and mentally to compete and practice fully. After rehabbing for months this year and only played at 3 events , the last two tournaments has showed me , that the pain was still there and i wasn’t ready , so i have decided to take more time and come back stronger next year! Thanks for the support. Until next year!"

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Pavlyuchenkova's best result this year was winning the doubles title alongside Veronika Kudermetova at the Italian Open.

Top players gear up for French Open

Plenty of top stars have already arrived in Paris and are getting ready for the French Open. 2021 semifinalist Maria Sakkari, former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka, two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka, and Jannik Sinner were among the players spotted training on Tuesday.