Ahead of Dubai return, Daniil Medvedev checks in following 28th birthday

A rested Daniil Medvedev not only soaked up some family time before his return to the ATP Tour. He added a new member to his team, too.

The Australian Open finalist hasn't played since finishing runner-up to Jannik Sinner in a five-set men's singles final in Melbourne on Jan. 28, the culmination of what was a marathon fortnight: Medvedev played four five-set matches in total and set two Open Era records, one for the most time spent on court at a Grand Slam tournament (24 hours and 17 minutes) anf for the most number of sets player (31). As a result of the cumulative fatigue and foot injury he picked up as a result, he withdrew from events in both Rotterdam and Doha, where he was the defending champion at each.

But the 2021 US Open champion will return to competition this week in Dubai, where he is the top seed. It'll be his first match action as a 28-year-old, having celebrated his birthday on Feb. 11. Medvedev was happy to have a "traditional" birthday celebration at home during his sabbatical, as both he and his wife, Daria Medvedeva, shared photos to commemorate the occasion.

When Medvedev returns to the court in Dubai, he'll be accompanied by former Top 10 player Gilles Simon, who's joining the former No. 1's team at the event. A report from Tennis Majors details that the one-time world No. 6, now 39 years old, will join Medvedev at tournaments when his full-time coach, Gilles Cervara, is unavailable. In addition to Dubai, Simon will reportedly accompany Medvedev in Madrid and at the Rolex Paris Masters, while Cervara will be with Medvedev for both Indian Wells and Miami.

After a week away from the courts, Tennis Majors reported that Medvedev trained with Simon earlier this month at the Mouratoglou Academy.

“He is an addition to the team,” Medvedev told Tennis Majors. “He is going to help us move forward, help us win titles, and help me become a better player.

“We see how it goes.  So far it has been going good.  Hopefully it is for a very long time but that depends on a lot of factors. We will see how much time he spends.  For sure Gilles Cervara will be more time with me than Gilles Simon. That is how it works because that is how it was. We will see what the future brings as to how many weeks he will be with us.

“My expectations are that Gilles Simon is a very smart player that can help me improve my game–especially hoping to improve parts of my game that are maybe not the best.  So far it’s been going good.”