Tennis star Hailey Baptiste opened up about her devastating injury at the French Open.
The American took to Instagram on Friday and shared her feelings on the ACL and meniscus injuries she suffered two days prior.
“The most heartbreaking end to the best season of my life,” Baptiste wrote. “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?
“It’s hard to see any purpose in something like this right now, but in my heart, I truly believe everything happens for a reason.”
The injury came mid-rally in the second round of the tournament against Wang Xiyu. After hitting a forehand shot, Baptiste collapsed to the ground in pain.
Immediately after the injury, Baptiste’s father, Qasim, rushed to her side and was there until she wheeled off the court. She thanked her dad directly in the Instagram post.
“Special thanks to my dad, Franklin, and Will. You guys have picked me up, held me together, and damn near wiped my a– these last couple of days,” the 24-year-old wrote. “Words won’t do it justice, but I love you guys deeply.”
The 26th-ranked tennis star will undergo surgery. She is expected to miss at least six months.
The injury came at an unfortunate time when Baptiste was playing some of the best tennis of her career.
The rising tennis star stunned the world when she defeated the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open. She was looking to make a deep run in the French Open, trying to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in any Grand Slam.
At the end of her social media post Friday, Baptiste reassured her fans that this injury was not the end.
“I will be back, and I will be better,” she wrote.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
