Of all the potential experiences Anastasija Sevastova imagined about motherhood, the thought of learning to walk again at the same time as her infant daughter was certainly not one she anticipated.
Yet, just over a year ago, that became her reality. Merely four tournaments into her return from maternity leave, Sevastova suffered a severe knee injury during the quarterfinals in Austin. The damage was extensive, affecting not only her ACL but also the meniscus and cartilage. She spent six weeks on crutches – precisely when her daughter, Alexandra, was beginning to take her first steps.
Speaking ahead of the Internazionali BNL d`Italia tournament, where she is competing with a special ranking, Sevastova commented, “That was not fun.” She added, “But it helps when you have another life. And then I started walking with her!”
After Sevastova`s initial comeback was cut short so abruptly, few in the tennis world expected to see her competing again, much less making such a significant impact as she did recently at the Mutua Madrid Open. In her opening match there, the 35-year-old overcame a daunting 0-8 head-to-head record to finally defeat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She then went on to end the impressive winning streak of Stuttgart champion Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets, reaching the third round. Her signature tactical game, featuring sharp drop shots and slices, appeared as effective as ever.
“Nobody beats me nine times!” she joked about the match against Pavlyuchenkova. “When I got to 3-3, I was like, `I won three games. That`s good enough.` And then I relaxed and didn`t think too much. It was a process.”
This resilient mindset was crucial in carrying Sevastova through her difficult injury. Comparing it to significant life events, she stated, “Pregnancy, giving birth — nothing compared to it.” Returning to tennis wasn`t even on her radar initially; her sole focus was on regaining the ability to walk without needing assistance.
“When you`re on crutches you don`t think about playing tennis,” she explained. “It was step by step. After six months I could maybe stay on court for an hour once a week. It`s another step and another. I wanted to start practicing because I could see the progress, but in November, December, it was getting worse again.”
She continued, “I would practice and for the next four days my knee was swollen and painful. I tried with some injections, but they didn`t help. In January I had another surgery, and it helped a lot. From that point on I saw myself coming back.”
With her typical deadpan manner, Sevastova can now discuss her past injury with equanimity.
“I cannot complain,” she said. “There are things that are worse that happen to other people. I was injured for a year — that happened to me. You cannot explain why it happened. But now I`m healthy, I have a healthy family, healthy daughter.”
Sevastova`s protected ranking has been reactivated. She plans to skip Roland Garros to use her two Grand Slam entries at Wimbledon and the US Open. The US Open holds fond memories, having been the site of her greatest major successes, including a semifinal and two quarterfinals between 2016 and 2018. However, she now considers her performance in Madrid last month the result she is most proud of in her career, humorously suggesting it signifies she`s currently at her peak.
Considering her apparent contentment off the court, one might ask about the motivation for returning at all. Sevastova describes her life in Graz, Austria, with her partner and coach Ronnie Schmidt, their two-year-old daughter Alexandra, and their Portuguese water dog Oscar (who, ironically, dislikes swimming) as a “beautiful life.” Alexandra has shown a nascent interest in tennis, although typically limited to five-minute bursts before being easily distracted by water, sand, or a trampoline.
Sevastova clarified her driving force: “I just want to prove it to myself. I want to show my daughter this life and show her you can achieve some things when you`re persistent. It`s important for her to see it. You can say, `I want to win this, this and this,` but that`s my goal.”
