Svetlana Kuznetsova’s rehab is coming along, but the process has been so difficult at times that it has made her ponder the ultimate end of her tennis career, which the two-time major champion predicts will happen in two or three years.
"I already had a knee injury before,” she told RT sport in an exclusive. “I can't say for sure which recovery process was faster, but now I feel like my rehabilitation has been endless. Now the situation has improved, but I still feel pain in my wrist after a particularly hard training session. I have played just a few matches after the injury and I'm trying to keep myself as busy as possible now to be in form before Roland Garros."
Kuznetsova, out of action since last October due to the wrist surgery, lost her first-round matches at Indian Wells and Miami in straight sets. She is competing at Lugano this week at the Samsung Open, where she will face Mona Barthel in the first round on Thursday.
Kuznetsova says the grind of the WTA Tour has started to wear on her. And she says that her last comeback from injury in 2012 was also difficult.
“I have been playing from January until November for 16 years. This is enormously difficult. Moreover, when I came back to tennis after my knee injury, I wasn't granted a wild card at any tournament."
Kuznetsova, who famously has a tattoo that reads "Pain Doesn't Kill Me; I Kill The Pain,” had her right knee repaired in 2012 and it took her to her first non Top 50 finish in the WTA rankings in 11 seasons. Since then she has returned to the Top 10 (in 2016) for the first time since 2009 and reached the WTA Finals (also in 2016) for the first time in seven years.
But we could be witnessing Kuznetsova’s final comeback from injury. The Russian, currently ranked 29 in the world, says she’s ready to make other plans, and looks forward to a normal civilian life.
"Of course I'm thinking about my future. 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,"