'If survive my first match we will go to Asia': Karolina Pliskova set for comeback after year-long Iijury hiatus

Former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova is ready for her return to the court, despite admitting she's not yet at 100% physically. The 33-year-old Czech player will attempt her comeback at the upcoming WTA 125 Caldas da Rainha in Portugal, marking her first appearance in over a year.

The former Wimbledon finalist received a wildcard from the tournament organizers, so she won't have to use a protected ranking for her first match since the US Open last year.

"I'm heading to Portugal at the end of the week. I hope nothing happens to me before then. I'm a bit paranoid, but maybe not," Pliskova said on the Czech podcast Rakety. "I had planned to play this week, but I have some back problems... If I mentally and physically survive my first match next week, we will go to Asia, where I'd like to play something."

She originally planned to start at an ITF tournament in France but withdrew. "Even though I still have back problems, I've gotten used to them. So I'll go anyway, just to get a feel for where I am. We'll see how it goes," said the Czech player, who currently has no WTA ranking but will be able to use her protected ranking. At the time of her last match at the US Open, she was still ranked world No. 44.

Pliskova's Career on Pause

Karolina Pliskova decided to put her career on hold after suffering a back injury at the 2024 US Open. For a couple of seasons, the Czech player had struggled with consistency on the tour, with recurring back problems being a constant impediment to staying in top physical shape.

At Flushing Meadows a year ago, she won her debut match in three sets against Mayar Sherif. However, when she appeared for the second round against 5th seed Jasmine Paolini, she only managed to play a few points before opting to retire at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The 17-time title champion announced that her season was over, but unfortunately, injuries have prevented her from returning to the courts in 2025.

Pliskova reached her career-high ranking in 2017 when she held the world No. 1 spot for six weeks. Between 2016 and 2021, she was a top-10 player without interruption and had spent a decade in the top 40 until early 2024. Pliskova, who has been one of the best servers in WTA history and a two-time Grand Slam finalist, will seek to return to the tour in an attempt to regain the privileged positions she held in previous years.