Former Australian Open finalist Jennifer Brady updates fans about her return to the tour, says she is "on a better track"

Former Australian Open finalist Jennifer Brady recently shed some light on her potential return to the tour. She had suffered a knee injury that forced her to pull out of the 2021 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Brady, 27, has been sidelined due to the knee injury for the past 18 months. Playing her second-round match against Jelena Ostapenko in Cincinnati, Brady pulled out of the match in the second set. At the time of her withdrawal, Brady had won the first set and was trailing the second by 5-4.

The 2021 Australian Open finalist recently starred in Amazon Prime's sports programming show, Sports Talk. She was interviewed by the host, former professional player and coach Rennae Stubbs.

During her coaching career, Stubbs has coached the likes of Karolina Pliskova and Samantha Stosur and was also a part of Serena Williams' coaching team.

Stuubs, 52, asked Brady about her return to the court, in response to which the former World No. 13 said that she intends to return for the 2023 French Open. She added that she has been training a bit to get her body used to everything.

"My goal is the French Open, that's what I am shooting for. You know, I am out here, switching over to grinding on the red clay. Well, I wouldn't say grinding here, but you know, getting the body used to sliding, getting used to, you know, a little bit of movement, all that kind of stuff."

When asked if she was sure of her comeback this time, Brady assured Stubbs that this time, she is on a "better track." The American player further added that the recovery isn't easy, but she feels more confident than she did last year.

"Today, no, but you know what? We are on a better track than we were last year, we will tell you that. Definitely on the right track, figuring things out, definitely not an easy case, so all kinds of little stuff going on. So, we are a on a better place than we were last year, that's for sure."

---

What exactly is the nature of Jennifer Brady's injury, and why has it kept her sidelined for more than a year?

Brady at the 2021 Australian Open: Day 10

Jennifer Brady was last seen in action at 2021's Cincinnati Open, and for over a year, the American has been inactive due to her knee injury. She continued to play through her injury until she finally succumbed to extreme pain and discomfort in August 2021.

Prior to her match in Cincinnati, the American also experienced extreme pain when she was up against Coco Gauff in the third round of the 2021 French Open. There, the American also developed compensatory back spasms, and she was finally forced to retire midway through her match.

Brady further aggravated her injury while practising in her quest to make a comeback at the 2021 US Open. However, during her training session, she felt discomfort once again in her knee, which later turned out to be a stress fracture in her knee. She had to go under the knife later on as part of her treatment.