Baptiste, present in Washington but as a spectator: "It's hard to be here and not be able to play"

Andrés Tomás Rico - 30 Jul 2026 | 21:34
WTA Hailey Baptiste WTA Washington 2026

The American, who tore her anterior cruciate ligament at Roland Garros, has already been in recovery for eight weeks and states that she is starting to feel stronger.
 

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Baptiste, present in Washington, but as a fan: "It's hard to be here and not be able to play."

One of the most heartbreaking images seen this year on the circuit was the chilling injury of Hailey Baptiste in the second round of Roland Garros. A bad move shattered her knee and tore her anterior cruciate ligament. Her coach jumped onto the court immediately while the American couldn't stop crying. And the worst predictions were confirmed: she would be out for the entire season.

However, far from hiding and disappearing from the circuit, the world number 32 has been spotted at the Washington tournament, which this week hosts both the ATP 500 and WTA 500 events. Furthermore, she is from the capital of the United States and has been seen at the matches of Frances Tiafoe.

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Hailey Baptiste updates her injury status at WTA Washington 2026

And the WTA took the opportunity to interview her and bring tennis fans up to date on her injury: “Everything is going well, very well. Today marks eight weeks since the operation. Obviously, I am doing a lot of rehabilitation, and it is going very well. I am starting to feel stronger and I am getting to the point where I can sweat in the gym, not just move around and those things, so everything is going well.”

Baptiste is taking this process as positively as possible and has also decided to document the whole journey: “Even though I am injured and cannot touch the racket, life goes on. Maybe this path isn't as exciting as being on tour, but it will still be an important part of my story. I think a lot of people can also be inspired, or however you want to call it, through this. This is the first time I’ve suffered a fairly serious injury, and I am learning along the way, but I think it is something worth documenting.

An injury that has also allowed her to reflect on her mental and physical strength: “I’m still learning things, and I will continue to learn new things, but the first weeks were very tough. I had unbearable pain all day, every day. I couldn't sleep. Honestly, I hadn’t realized this, but I keep proving to myself that I can endure a lot.”

It is customary for tennis players who are forced to spend time off the court due to injury to try to watch as little tennis as possible, and Baptiste is no exception: “The only tennis I have watched has been Tiafoe's at Wimbledon and here in Washington. I have no idea; I couldn’t tell you what is happening.”

But she explains her reasons: “I just needed to completely disconnect because I am still going through a very emotional stage not being able to play. Just being here this week is quite hard. Normally it’s my favorite week of the year, when I can play at home, so it’s tough to be here and not be able to play,” concludes Hailey Baptiste, who is getting closer to returning with each passing day.
 

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