Ana Konjuh: 'I have plan B if I fail to recover from elbow surgery'
Recognized as one of the most promising talents among the new generation, Ana Konjuh was ready to conquer the tennis world after a stellar junior career that saw her winning Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl at the age of 14 in 2012 and the Australian Open in January next year. Ana hadn't stayed on the ITF junior Tour for too long, losing in the semi-final of Roland Garros and Wimbledon before finishing junior duties with the title at the US Open at the age of 15. A super talented player from Dubrovnik was the force to be reckoned with on the Pro Tour as well, reaching the first final in 2012 at the age of 14 and claiming the first title in June next year in Montpellier.
Ana was one of the youngest players in the top-300 at the end of the season and was ready for more of the same in 2014 despite missing four months of tennis (due to an elbow that would bother her many times again). She had reached the third round at Wimbledon as a qualifier and the semi-final in Istanbul still before turning 17, finishing the season with a few good results on the lower-ranked events for the place in the top-100. The start of 2015 was not that good but it all changed in Nottingham where Konjuh won her maiden WTA title, earning enough points to wrap up the year in the top-80.
Just like in the previous season, Konjuh needed some time to find the right form in 2016 and it came at the best possible moment, advancing to the quarter-final of the US Open where she lost to Karolina Pliskova, backed by the semi-final in Guangzhou and the quarter-final in Moscow. That was enough to propel her inside the top-50 and continue her progress towards the top of the game, working on her game and improving all the elements to be competitive against the players from the very top of the rankings. The hard-hitting Croat had opened 2017 season with the final in Auckland, followed by the quarter-final run in Dubai.
Ana scored eight wins on grass but her problems started after reaching the quarters in Stanford (she cracked the top-20 at the end of July), losing in the opening round of the three most significant North American events and being forced to skip the rest of the season after the US Open with a right elbow injury. Ana ended her cooperation with Zeljko Krajan at the beginning of September and underwent elbow surgery on September 15, targeting her return at the start of the new season.
Konjuh made a comeback in Brisbane where Elina Svitolina defeated her in the second round and was forced to skip the following tournaments with more elbow troubles, this time on the left hand which led to another medical intervention in March. Her ranking position went down rapidly and she entered the Roland Garros from outside the top-100, losing 6-0, 6-1 to Carla Suarez Navarro and failing to make an impression in Eastbourne and Wimbledon as well, barely standing in the top-400 at that moment.
The worst thing is, Ana wasn't sure what to do with her right elbow, practicing with no problems but feeling the pain in competitive matches after just a few games. Konjuh visited the specialists in Zurich, Turin and Bologna and no one could figure out what causes the constant pain. Hoping for a fresh start in 2019, Ana lost all three matches in St. Petersburg, Trnava and Budapest, feeling a sharp pain in her elbow once again and deciding to undergo the fourth surgery, desperately trying to extend her career and compete with no pain.
"A few matches I played in 2019 were decent but the pain kept coming back. When I went to recheck my elbow, they suggested me to underwent a reconstruction and I needed like five minutes to make the decision. If I want to play tennis, I had to do that, that was the right call. I still don't know how much the recovery would last but some experts mentioned nine to 17 months period. It is a lot of time but I have to be patient and make sure everything will be o.k once the recovery is over.
I was thinking about quitting because no one can guarantee everything will be fine after the fourth surgery so I have to prepare plan B. Still, I hope I will stay in tennis for many more years and that my elbow will be fine. The landscape in women's tennis has changed drastically. In the past, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were the dominant figures and now we have 18 winners from 18 different tournaments. It is all in the small details and many players are contenders for the titles."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2Vjjx2Z
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