French Open: Top Players Speak Out on Pressures to Compete Through Injury

Despite being a three-time Grand Slam finalist, current World No. 8, and the most successful male clay-court player since 2020, Casper Ruud has spent the past two months pushing through knee pain — until it became unbearable. In his French Open second-round loss, the 26-year-old Norwegian dropped 13 of the final 14 games, all while struggling with a swollen knee, painkillers, and limited mobility.

After the match, Ruud voiced frustration with a system he described as a “rat race,” where players feel forced to compete regardless of health. “If you don’t show up, you lose economically, ranking-wise, and opportunity-wise,” he said, noting that skipping even one mandatory tournament can reduce a player’s year-end bonus by 25%. “You’re kind of forcing players to show up injured or sick.”

Ruud isn’t alone. Caroline Garcia, 2022 U.S. Open semifinalist, recently revealed she’s ending her career after relying on a cocktail of anti-inflammatories, injections, and plasma treatments for a lingering shoulder injury. “Is it truly worth pushing our bodies to such extremes?” she asked.

Others echoed her concerns. Alexander Zverev, a three-time major finalist, acknowledged the burden individual players carry: “It’s 1-on-1, so we get the blame all the time.” Ajla Tomljanovic admitted to playing through pain, sometimes with mixed results. Emma Raducanu shared that she ignored serious wrist pain early in her career due to pressure from those around her: “I wish I would have listened to myself sooner.”

Even recent Australian Open champion Madison Keys resonated with Garcia’s words. “Everyone applauds Michael Jordan for playing with the flu, but you don’t always need to push through,” Keys said. “At some point, you have to say, ‘I’m done.’”

Still, many do push on. Tommy Paul, the 12th seed in Paris, played through abdominal pain to win in five sets and planned further tests. Bosnia’s Damir Džumhur suffered a knee injury mid-match but chose to continue, saying, “If I cannot make it worse, then I can play.”

Tennis may be a non-contact sport, but the toll is real. Ruud estimated that in more than half of his matches, something feels off — whether it’s a blister, soreness, or joint pain. “Every part of my body,” he said, “has felt some kind of pain.”