Pliskova's Last Chance: "I Will Only Keep Playing If I Don't Feel Pain, My Expectations Are Low"

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At 33 years old, the physicist Karolina Pliskova may have had enough. It's a feeling the Czech experienced last season when her comeback was cut short after just three matches in minor tournaments held in Portugal. She needed more recovery time following a serious ankle injury that kept her out of action for almost all of 2025, even stating that "I couldn't even walk" at certain times during the year.

The Czech is one of several players with a clear intention to make a comeback in a big way, to reignite her excitement in a 2026 of resurrections. However, reality is not so rosy... and her body knows it. Expectations? As low as possible. Excitement? All the in the world and more: after all, this may be the last full season that Karolina spends on the WTA circuit. Big words for a former world number one who understands that her future hangs by a thread.

"My goals, as of today, are small. I don't want to demand overly exaggerated things from myself. For now, it will be enough if I can play without pain and finish several matches. When you are at the top, it's almost impossible for your goal to be 'just' winning one round, but right now, I know that it's very difficult to come back after such an injury", confesses the Central European openly in conversation with Sport.cz. The honesty is such that she admits she even considered retirement at the end of 2025, when a simple question echoed in her mind: "Is it worth it?"

"I thought I would be unable to return to the Grand Slams. I was in a very bad state, wondering if it was worth it. Not only did my leg hurt, but also my back and arm. Everything hurt, and I didn't know if it made sense", points out Pliskova, who is now traveling to Oceania to give herself a fresh chance in 2026. "I gave myself space and distance and started to work and train differently. That's why I told myself that I wanted to give it another try at the beginning of this year".

Pliskova will use her protected ranking, as she has fallen outside the top 1000, but she still believes in her comeback.

The roadmap for the Wimbledon and US Open finalist is defined by her ranking. All this time off the courts has dropped her out of the top 1000, although she will have the option to use the protected ranking. Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne will be the three stops for a train ready for anything, even for the worst-case scenario. "I'm excited and eager because I wasn't in Australia last year, although I don't think it's a place I will return to after my career. I have low expectations", she confirms.

However, the scenario is less bleak than when she tried to come back briefly in 2025. In the past month, Pliskova has tested herself against the best in her country in some training and exhibition matches, with a more satisfactory result than a few months ago. "I started very early last fall. Neither my leg nor my body were ready. My back joined soon too, but now I've been playing all of December without discomfort. It's clear that actual matches are something very different, and I don't want to get my hopes up, but I consider myself ready".

One clear conclusion before heading to Australia is that it will be her physical condition that determines to what extent Karolina is ready to experience one final stage in the tennis world. "I don't want to worry about anything. If I'm not well physically, there's no point in continuing. I just want to play if I'm pain-free and know that I can enjoy it". These are strong words that will show us what situation they leave us in with such a great champion of the last decade of our sport.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La última oportunidad de Pliskova: "Solo seguiré jugando si no siento dolor, mis expectativas son bajas"