Svetlana Kuznetsova will make her return to the WTA Tour next week in Switzerland.
The 33-year-old Russian made a comeback from a wrist injury in 2018 (starting her season at Indian Wells) and won the title at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. in August. But Kuznetsova pulled the plug on her season in September after just five more matches.
This winter Kuznetsova announced that she’d be missing the beginning of the season to continue rehabbing.
“In order to get ahead of all the rumors, I want to answer the question that worries the media and my fans. With great regret, I have to inform you that I don’t have time to recover by the beginning of the next game season. We made a difficult decision together with my team and doctors: we will give my body to recover from injuries and then begin intensive training. In the next few days I’ll undergo intensive therapy and try to keep my body in good shape.”
Kuznetsova owns 642 career wins and 18 titles. The two-time champion is a former World No.2 has reached the quarter-finals or better at 16 majors and won 152 major singles matches.
Last year she hinted that the end of her career may be coming sooner than some think. Kuznetsova underwent surgery to her left wrist in 2017.
"Of course I'm thinking about my future,” Kuznetsova told the Russian website RT last April. I'm 32 now and I can play for two or three more seasons, but anyway later I will have to find new goals and priorities in my life. Without hesitation I would definitely change my tennis trophies for a happy family life," she said.