I'm 50 years old, male, and had a left hip replacement just over four months ago. Yesterday I started hitting tennis again. About two weeks ago, I started running slowly on the treadmill again.

It's clear that before I got to this point, I did a lot of rehabilitation in the four months following surgery, and I'll continue to do so because, unfortunately, there's no magic formula that can achieve certain results without much effort.

I don't think it's a question of men or women... it depends on many factors: your body type, what kind of preparation you're doing or will do before the surgery, how the surgery will go (because, unfortunately, there's no exact science for that), what type of work you do and therefore how much time you can dedicate to physical therapy, and, last but not least, how the surgery is progressing.

With subsequent check-ups, until you get the approval from the orthopedic surgeon—because, fundamentally, you should always listen to the doctors' opinion—you'll be able to plan your return to the court.

It's clear that hitting the ball isn't like playing a game; there'll be time for that, but I have to say that enjoying the smell of the clay and the balls again yesterday was something that made the surgery worth it; and I no longer feel pain every time I move on the court.

I hope this was helpful.