Karolina Muchova has been dealt a fresh setback in her preparations to rejoin the WTA Tour in 2024. The crafty Czech woman becomes the first high-profile absentee of next month’s Australian Open.
In a gut-wrenching post she shared on Instagram, Muchova revealed that she is still experiencing pain in her right wrist, the same one she injured in her run to the US Open semifinal last September. The 27-year-old hasn’t been able to play since losing to eventual tournament champion Coco Gauff.
Muchova wrote, “Hi, fans and friends. This isn’t my favorite thing to share, especially at the start of a new season, but unfortunately, the pain in a wrist came back in the middle of my tennis preparation.”
Karolina Muchova’s wrist injury is not healed yet as she withdraws from the Australian Open 2024 pic.twitter.com/3aEB1qQ0mR
— Melanie Lautrup (@melanie_lautrup) December 28, 2023
She added that she would “postpone” her comeback without giving any details or timelines. Her primary objective remains to play pain-free, and she will now focus on getting the required treatment for the debilitating injury. It is far from an ideal situation for Muchova, who has suffered a spate of injuries in the past, that she hardly tapped her real potential.
But everything clicked into place in 2023, including her health. Muchova reached a maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open in June, where she came within a few games from shocking Iga Swiatek. That run served as a catalyst in her Top 10 breakthrough – a place where tennis onlookers believe is where she belonged.
However, the injury curse struck again. At the height of her peak, Muchova was forced to miss the WTA Finals in Cancun, where she qualified for the first time. She was also unavailable for selection in the Czechia team that lost in the Billie Jean King Cup semifinals in November because of injury.
She was scheduled to play in the star-studded WTA 500 tournament in Brisbane in the opening week of the new season but pulled out ahead of schedule. That probably was the first indication she was going to miss the 2024 Australian Open.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
