The worst part of Jennifer Brady’s two years on the WTA tour wasn’t the injury itself. A fractured right knee or torn left foot tissue finally led to a prolonged absence, as she overwhelmed No. 28 Anhelina Kalinina 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of the DC Open on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).
It didn’t miss competition, camaraderie or pay.
No, the hardest part is uncertainty, Brady said.
“I used to wake up in the middle of the night in panic because I thought, ‘I don’t know when I’m going to play again.’ Or ‘I don’t know if I’ll be playing again,’ the 28-year-old from Pennsylvania told The Associated Press. “I was so scared of people I didn’t know.”
So the 2021 Australian Open runner-up and 2020 US Open semi-finalist was ready to smile and shout “Welcome!” as he hit his final forehand against Kalinina at John Harris Court on a cloudy afternoon with low temperatures of 80 degrees Fahrenheit (mid-20 degrees Celsius).
Showing off some of the skills that led her to the final stages of the hard court grand slam tournament, she consistently delivered fast serve of more than 105 miles (170 kilometers) per hour and continued her baseline play of fast strikes and big hits. I used my forehand and backhand to score quickly.
This kind of thing didn’t always seem to be possible again.
“There was a period when I lost motivation, training, and all that. Because when are we going to play? When will you feel good? When will you feel good? When will you feel good?Because it was something like that. It’s okay not to, but how much pain do we have to suffer?” Brady said. “There was a lot of entertainment and dealing with it.” 토토
Brady is now at 1,056th, having moved up to 13th place, but has fallen out of the rankings since August 2021.
She knows she’s not ready to come back on the last day of her major. It will require more work and repetition, renewing the muscle memory that can rely on the most important moments of the game.
That doesn’t mean the drive isn’t for Brady. Just like before.