American tennis star Hailey Baptiste has described her French Open injury as a 'nightmare' after she suffered a devastating knee injury during her second-round match. The 24-year-old collapsed awkwardly while returning a serve against China's Wang Xiyu on Thursday, damaging both the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in her left knee.
Baptiste, who was wheeled off the court after receiving medical attention, will require surgery and is expected to be sidelined for at least six months. In an emotional Instagram post on Friday, she admitted the past two days had brought 'bad news' and 'uncontrollable tears.'
'The most heartbreaking end to the best season of my life,' Baptiste wrote alongside two black-and-white photos of her on the court and being wheeled off. 'Still waiting to wake up from this nightmare. In my head, all I can think is why, why, and why. Why me? Why now? And why like this?'
Despite the setback, Baptiste expressed gratitude for her support network. 'It's been a long and heavy couple of days filled with bad news, uncontrollable tears, and a million thoughts running through my head. This new, but somewhat familiar, challenge faces me with what will probably be one of the hardest chapters of my life, and I'm beyond ready to show how strong I really am.'
The world No. 26 came into the French Open on the back of a career-best run, including a stunning upset over World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the Madrid Open in late April, where she reached the semifinals before losing to Mirra Andreeva.
Fellow American star Sloane Stephens offered her condolences, calling the injury 'absolutely devastating and heartbreaking.' Stephens told TNT: 'I took my earpiece out because I don't want to hear this. It's so painful and it hurts so bad for Hailey because this is the best tennis she's ever played in her career, highest ranking she's ever been to, she just signed a Nike contract, everything is looking up.'
Baptiste concluded her post by thanking her father and coaches, Franklin Tiafoe and Will Woodall, for their support. 'You guys have picked me up, held me together, and damn near wiped my ass these last couple of days. Words won't do it justice, but I love you guys deeply. I will be back, and I will be better.'
