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Barbora Krejcikova revealed in her latest update that her health condition was more serious than anyone thought as the 28-year-old shared that just on Sunday she was able to leave her bed to spend a full day outside.
Krejcikova, the 2021 French Open champion, has been sidelined for nearly two full months now as she hasn’t played since losing in the Abu Dhabi Open round-of-16 on February 9th. After Abu Dhabi, Krejcikova had WTA 1000 tournaments in Doha and Dubai on her schedule but ended up withdrawing from both events. At the time, a back injury was listed as the reason behind her withdrawals.
While Krejcikova was indeed dealing with a back injury, she also caught a severe flu. Now, the 28-year-old Czech says she definitely wasn’t joking when she declared it as “severe” as she spent weeks in her bed without being able or allowed to do much.
This week, Krejcikova was scheduled to start her clay season in Charleston but she pulled out due to illness.
Fortunately, Krejcikova’s condition is improving and she appears to be slowly on the road to recovery. However, the former world No. 2 may be allowed to leave her home and take some walks in the nature but she is still not allowed to do tennis, run or any gym activities.
“Some more news about my condition. Today has been the first full day outside of my bed. I’m still not allowed to practice nor do anything higher intensity so I’m starting with some easy walks in our nature. I will keep you updated about my progress in next days,” Krejcikova wrote in a message posted on her Instagram Story.
Krejcikova first hinted at an illness in late February
After Krejcikova missed the last two tournaments of the Middle East swing in Doha and Dubai, the belief was that a back injury was to blame and that the Czech was undergoing treatment to resolve the issue and return to action during the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami.
Then, Krejcikova made an announcement on February 24th in which she disclosed that she wasn’t just dealing with a back injury. But in that announcement, Krejcikova didn’t sound particularly worried because she expressed optimism that she would be able to hit the practice court in a few days.
“Hi guys, I’d like to share with you some news about my health condition,” Krejcikova announced on February 24th.
“After getting injured in Doha, I caught severe flu. I’m still recovering from it. However, my back injury from Doha improved and I got green light to start slowly working off the court. I hope to start hitting some balls in next couple of days, when my coughing will go away.”
When Krejcikova said she was hoping to hit some balls in a couple of days, she was presumably hoping to get some work on the practice court and try to return action in Indian Wells and Miami. But then, not only that Krejcikova ended up pulling out of both Indian Wells and Miami, but she also could barely leave her bed.
Krejcikova is scheduled to play Stuttgart but that seems very unlikely now
On March 21st, the organizers of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart released its 2024 entry list. On the list, Krejcikova’s name appeared as the Czech is signed up to start her clay season at a WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart.
But after Krejcikova’s latest update on her condition, it is safe to say that it not very likely that she will be able to return to action in Stuttgart, which kicks off on April 15th.
After weeks in bed, Krejcikova will first have to get some practice, training and gym work before she can return to action. But since she still hasn’t been cleared to practice and train again, being ready for a tournament that is starting in two weeks.
If the 28-year-old Czech somehow manages to play in Stuttgart this year, she will be making her second main draw appearance at the tournament.
In 2015 and 2016, Krejcikova first played in Stuttgart when she attempted to reach the main draw through the qualifying event. In both attempts, the Czech failed in her after losing in the qualifying first round.
But last year, Krejcikova returned to Stuttgart for the first time in seven years and this time finally made her main draw debut. In her 2023 Stuttgart debut, the 2021 French Open champion started with a win over Liudmila Samsonova before losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the round-of-16.
After Stuttgart, the Madrid Open and Rome Open are taking place. For Krejcikova, overcoming her health issues and being able to play some clay tournaments and then compete at the French Open would certainly be a success in this situation.
It remains to be seen when Krejcikova will be given the green light to resume action.
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