Jennifer Brady gave a fascinating insight to her life during a traumatic couple of years due to injury and draws some reassurance from her fellow peers who went through a similar rocky road.
In the latest Player's Voice on Europsport, Brady delved into the nitty gritty details of how injuries completely changed her perspective of tennis and life in general. When she set foot on Arthur Ashe Stadium this week to enjoy her first hit ahead of the 2023 US Open, Brady was ecstatic to relive the emotions again.
The last time Brady competed at the US Open was in 2020 during the pandemic-hit campaign where she reached the semifinal of a Grand Slam for the first time. Within five minutes of immersing herself in the Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time in three years this week, that match against Naomi Osaka sprung to mind.
"Of course, it was emotional stepping back on that court but they were good emotions because the last match I played there was the semi-final against Naomi Osaka and, to me, that was probably one of the best matches that I've ever played, even though I lost."
"Within the first five minutes of my hit on Ashe this week, I was already smiling pretty big and happy to just to be out there and hitting again. What I remember from that semi-final against Naomi is that it was such a high-quality match, from the very first point all the way to the end."
Brady spent the past two years nursing a chronic foot issue and a knee injury, which both required surgery and she only returned to action in mid-July at an ITF event in Canada. Brady hasn't received any wild cards and has solely relied on her protected ranking to get into WTA events.
Now 28, Brady was candid in her admission of forgetting about her past. In a way, she feels sad that the injury happened at such an inopportune time in her career when she was on the verge of breaking the world's Top 10. But the concept of life is all about change and adaptability, and it's unfair to always compare with your past self according to her.
"It's not really fair for me to compare myself to three years ago, whether I’m healthy or not; I think the older you get, you're not as fast or as strong as you used to be."
"Things change and the body has to adapt; things are different now and I can't really keep saying, I made the finals of Grand Slam, I made the semis of a Grand Slam. From here on out, it's about just looking forward and what can I do to get better every day."
The thrill and adrenaline of playing tennis is an indescribable feeling she says, that when she spent 23 months away from the sport, her mind wandered a lot about how different her life would look. Brady explains the situation was frightening as she was unsure what to do.
"So it was a really rough time in that sense. Just not knowing what the future holds, and honestly having no sense of purpose with life. There was not much that I could do physically, so just trying to find things to kill time to make the days go by. It’s kind of sad now that I talk about it."
As she embarks on her first Grand Slam appearance in what must feel like an eternity, the American is looking to emulate her peers who have been through their own ordeal with injuries.
Czech's Karolina Muchova has been to a Grand Slam final and recently broke the world's Top 10 after overcoming a myriad of injuries, while Marketra Vondrousova completed her own Cinderella story at this year's Wimbledon after a turbulent period with injuries.
"It's extremely encouraging to see players like Marketa Vondrousova and Karolina Muchova come back from difficult injuries and do so well at the Grand Slams. Especially that they're players that I've played in the past."
"It's tough to compare yourself, but at the same time, you have to in some sense compare a little bit. But it is really reassuring, and it's unbelievable seeing both of them having amazing results. I think it fuels me a bit more, and hopefully this time next year I'll be having good results too."
0 Comments