"I hope I can make some mess at the top again" - Karolina Muchova aims to bring "good tennis" during Eastbourne comeback after 10-month injury hiatus
Karolina Muchova is optimistic about getting big results on her comeback to tennis after 10 months away due to injury and prolonged recovery. The Czech is set to play at the WTA 500 Rothesay International in Eastbourne.
Muchova, who has a history of serious injuries, suffered a wrist injury after the 2023 US Open. She reached her maiden semifinal in New York last year and looked set to debut at the WTA Finals, but the injury halted her progress. The Czech star had surgery on her right wrist in February 2024 and underwent extensive rehabilitation.
Karolina Muchova has made a full recovery and is ready to play at the Rothesay International. Ahead of her campaign in Eastbourne, Muchova discussed a range of issues in an interview with the WTA Insider Podcast and expressed her yearning to compete against the best players on the tour and put up a good fight against them on the court.
"I hope I'll bring the good tennis again and that I can, yeah, make some mess at the top again," Muchova said.
The former World No. 8 has a good record against the current top 5 players on the WTA Ranking. She holds a 1-2 head-to-head record against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, with all matches going to three sets. Muchova lost both her matches against World No. 2 Coco Gauff and won two matches out of three against No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka. The Czech has a 1-1 record against No. 4 Rybakina and is yet to face No. 5 Jessica Pegula on the tour.
Karolina Muchova hopes to compete at Wimbledon, Paris Olympics after Eastbourne
Karolina Muchova is set to kick off her coming back on the WTA Tour at the 2024 Rothesay International and will face Elina Avanesyan of Russia in the first round. The World No. 35 has faced Avanesyan and defeated her in the fourth round of the 2023 French Open. The Czech would go on to finish as runner-up at the clay slam.
Muchova is slated to play at the Wimbledon Championships after Eastbourne. The 27-year-old is not defending many points in London, as she bowed out of the tournament in the first round last year (lost to Jule Niemeier). She would be hoping to better her performance at SW19, where she has a good track record with two quarterfinal appearances in 2019 and 2021.
After Wimbledon, Muchova's next big goal is an Olympic debut at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. She will be joined by Marketa Vondrousova, Barbora Krejcikova, Linda Noskova, Katerina Siniakova, Tomas Machac, and Jakub Mensik in the Czech Republic's tennis contingent.