Former Roland Garros finalist Karolina Muchova is finally set to return to tennis after months of absence.
The Czech player is one of the most talented tennis players on the WTA Tour, but she is also one of the most injury-prone athletes. Nobody has come closer to beating Iga Swiatek in the final of Roland Garros in recent years than Muchova, who led her in the decider last year.
Naomi Osaka recently nearly ousted the Pole in Paris as well, but outside of the two, nobody came close in any round, which shows what kind of company Muchova belongs to.
Unfortunately, she's had to deal with a lot of injuries over the years, which have derailed her career trajectory. Muchova last played at the US Open last year, where she lost to Coco Gauff in the semi-final.
Fans haven't gotten a chance to see her since then, as she didn't play a single match this year, but she will soon, as she's set to fly to Eastbourne at the end of this week to compete at the 2024 Eastbourne International.
"At the end of this week, I’ll fly to Eastbourne with the team, where we’ll finally try to play some matches in preparation ahead of Wimbledon. After Wimbledon I’ll return back to the clay, maybe play a tournament, or straight to the Olympics."
Besides the Eastbourne International, which will be a warm-up event for her, Muchova will also play at Wimbledon and the Olympics. It's a great time for her to be back, but the expectations shouldn't be too big.
She dealt with many complicated issues that kept her away from the sport, so just playing tennis is great news for her.
"The operation fixed a loose tendon in the right wrist. After the operation, I had my arm in a solid splint for six weeks, then two or three weeks in a wrist brace, and then I slowly started with rehabilitation and training. My wrist was very stiff. At the start, I wasn’t even able to hold a fork, so I was asking myself how it would be possible to play a forehand or hold a racquet."