By: Tiffany Wong

Jennifer Brady, a 28-year-old American tennis player, gained recognition for her performance at the 2020 U.S. Open. She advanced to the Australian Open final four months later, despite being in quarantine at a Melbourne hotel for two weeks. Brady’s success brought her close to the top 10 singles rankings. However, she was absent from the tour for almost two years due to chronic foot and knee issues.

Brady returned to action at a satellite tournament in Quebec, where she won a match but lost to a Japanese player ranked 223rd. She plans to compete in the DC Open in Washington, D.C. and will use her protected ranking to enter the U.S. Open in August 2023.

Despite her long absence, Brady’s protected ranking allows her entry into 12 tour-level events, but success is not guaranteed. She is currently traveling with a physical therapist, Kayla Fujimoto Epperson, and training daily with Ola Malmqvist, head of women’s tennis at the U.S.T.A., who has known her since she was a junior player.

“It’s almost like I don’t trust myself,” Brady said when asked about returning to full-time play. “I realized it’s more about staying healthy and training smarter instead of harder.”

Brady left U.C.L.A. after her sophomore year and moved her training base to Germany in 2019, where she began working with coach Michael Geserer. However, she developed plantar fasciitis in her left foot and had back cramps during a match against Coco Gauff,. After receiving cortisone and platelet-rich plasma injections in her foot, she skipped the grass-court season.

Although Brady lost in the first round at the Tokyo Olympics, she returned to the U.S. to prepare for the 2021 U.S. Open. Her condition has been challenging, with nerve compression and pain making it difficult for her to play. “Anytime I would feel pain, I would freak out because I’d be like, it’s back to where it was,” she said. “And I’d lose sleep over it; so many negative thoughts start rolling in the back of my head.” Open due to stress fractures and a partial tear in her left plantar fascia.

In March 2022, Brady underwent right knee surgery to repair cartilage damage but still experienced foot pain. Her long layoff has also caused financial struggles due to medical bills. Despite these challenges, Brady is motivated to resume her tennis career.