World No.1 doubles player Bethanie Mattek-Sands remains unsure about when she will be able to return to the WTA Tour after providing an update on her injury.
The 32-year-old made headlines at the Wimbledon championships after suffering a serious injury. Facing Sorana Cirstea in the second round, the American dropped to the floor after seriously hurting her knee and was taken to hospital. A medical evaluation found she had dislocated her right patella and ruptured a patella tendon.
Mattek-Sands is currently in New York, where she underwent an operation to repair the damage caused. Speaking to Sports Illustrated’s Beyond the Baseline, the American still doesn’t know how long the recovery time will take.
“Time-wise, I wish I knew.” She said. “I’m getting ready to have the post-op check-in with my doctor later this week and he will give me the scoop on everything and how he thinks it is healing.”
“With the patella tendon, a big part of the rehab is actually not moving it for a few weeks.” She added.
It is almost certain that Mattek-Sands will not be able to participate in her home grand slam later this year at Flushing Meadows. Currently, she isn’t allowed to bend her knee and requires help getting in and out of bed. Although, the positive-speaking American is remaining upbeat about her injury.
“My tear was pretty clear off the bone, which was actually a good thing. It helped him (the doctor) in surgery reattach it.” She explained.
“It’s definitely going to be a month-and-a-half before I’m ever looking at bending a lot.”
It is unclear if we will see the 32-year-old on the court before the end of the season. A better indication will be when she is allowed to bend her knee. Once that happens, Mattek-Sands is confident that she will recover well.
“The good news is once I am allowed to start bending it and moving it. It just comes down to strength, building confidence in your run. I feel like I have a great programme once that starts.” She said.
So far in 2017 Mattek-Sands has won four doubles titles, including the Australian and French Open with Lucie Safarova. She is the current doubles champion in three out of four grand slam events.
