Roger Federer‘s knee surgery announcement came out of the blue, catching most of us off-guard. That includes Daniil Medvedev, the World No. 5. The Russian will now benefit because of Federer’s absence.

Daniil Medvedev was a revelation last season. He won four titles, including the Shanghai Masters and the Cincinnati Masters. Having started the season outside the Top 15, Daniil ended the year at the World No. 5.

After a mixed start to the season (which still included a win over Novak Djokovic), Medvedev came alive after Wimbledon. ‘Came alive’ hardly covers it to be honest. He made it to the finals of each of the six events he played after Wimbledon.

These six events included the 2019 US Open, Montreal Masters, Cincinnati Masters, and Shanghai Masters. Last two of which, he won. ‘Burned brighter than the sun’ is more apt than simply ‘came alive.’

A surprise jump for Daniil Medvedev

Medvedev came into this season with a ton of belief. But he is sure to be disappointed with his start to the season. Surely he targeted a deeper run into the Australian Open than the Round of 16, where he lost to Stan Wawrinka in a close 5 setter. Since then, he has played in the Rotterdam Open, exiting in the very first round.

Roger Federer is out of the Tour for a while after his recent knee surgery. This changes the whole seeding picture for Medvedev in the following events. Dominic Thiem will push ahead and take over the No. 3 seeding, meaning Daniil moves up to the No. 4 spot.

While just one bump up the order may not seem like a big deal, getting into the top 4 spots changes things. The first four seeds get the most benefits of the draw, in an ideal world at least. A slightly easier run deep into an event could make all the difference for Medvedev.

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But Daniil Medvedev only has good thoughts for Roger.

“It’s a little sad for him in the sense that he misses tournaments when he is still playing well. I’m sure he’s going to come back well at the grass court season.”

No doubt he will, but until then, Medvedev can grab this opportunity and push ahead.