By: Jy Hung Ong

For renowned American tennis player Jennifer Brady, her success did not come easily. Her breakthrough came at the 2020 U.S. Open at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She reached the semifinals despite extreme public health regulations and the emptiness of a huge Arthur Ashe Stadium with no paying spectators.

She backed up her performance by making the Australian Open final. However, she only managed to make it after spending two weeks in quarantine in a Melbourne hotel. To train in time, she had to hit tennis balls on a mattress she propped up, pedal a stationary bike in the bathroom, and run in a hot shower to simulate a tournament’s often steamy environment.

Her deep run was a remarkable, excellent effort that would put her near the top 10 of the singles ranking. However, as the world and her sport slowly return to normal, Brady is nowhere to be seen on tour.

In an article for the New York Times, Cristopher Clarey wrote, “She [Jennifer Brady] was out of action for nearly two years with a chronic foot condition and a knee injury that, combined, sometimes left her, in her words, ‘in a very dark place,’ curled up on the floor in tears, even looking at her troublesome left foot on occasion and wishing she could ‘just chop it off.’”

According to the New York Times, Brady, who played her last competitive match in August 2021, returned to tennis last week for an International Tennis Federation satellite tournament in Granby, Quebec, winning a round before losing in straight sets to Himeno Sakatsume, a Japanese player ranked 223rd (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/29/sports/tennis/jennifer-brady-citi-open.html).

“It was unbelievable, just being out there,” Brady said in an interview from Granby. “Just engaging and just having a crowd there, and people enjoying good tennis. I missed this. I didn’t think I would be as comfortable as I was. I’m happy I was able to show people that I’m still here.”

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/29/sports/tennis/jennifer-brady-citi-open.html