"Literally about to cry in my room" - Tennis fans devastated over Anett Kontaveit's revelation of chronic injury

Anett Kontaveit has had a disastrous start to her 2023 season. She has made early exits from all four tournaments she has played so far: the Adelaide International 1, the Adelaide International 2, the Australian Open, and the Abu Dhabi Open.

Kontaveit also pulled out of the Qatar Open, the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships and the ongoing BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells due to a lower back injury she sustained in Abu Dhabi.

In a recent interview, the Estonian discussed her injury in detail, saying that while she is being treated to continue playing without pain, the issue will probably remain forever.

"My injury specifically involves degenerative changes to the lumbar discs of the spine and irritation of the left thigh tendons due to previous trauma," Anett Kontaveit said. "I'm treating it with special exercises and physiotherapy, with the help of physiotherapists Toms Zvonkovs and Lauri Ott."

"It's something I probably won't be able to get rid of. But it can, hopefully, be controlled well enough for me to continue playing without pain," she added.

Tennis fans were devastated by Konateveit's confession, and took to Twitter to express how they felt. One user lamented that they were not "ready" for the Estonian's retirement just yet, stating:

"I am not ready to her retiring. I literally about to cry in my room," the user wrote.

Another user expressed sadness over the news and wished Anett Kontaveit a speedy recovery, writing:

"Not a sneezy fan but this is so sad, she seems like a good person irl. wishing her all the best in her recovery."

One user, meanwhile, expressed hope that the former World No. 2 would compete at a high level again.

"This is actually quite discouraging. But Nettu is an iconic and charismatic figure: let's hope that we see her competing at a high level again," the account tweeted.

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

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"This doesn't rule out the possibility of playing the top sport, but it does require very careful monitoring" - Anett Kontaveit's orthopedic surgeon

Anett Kontaveit in action at the 2023 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open - Day 3.

Mihkel Mardna, Anett Kontaveit's orthopedic surgeon, recently stated that while this injury does not rule out the possibility of her playing at her best, it does necessitate very careful monitoring of the exercises.

"It will stay with the athlete for the rest of her career. It can be controlled by special therapeutic exercises that need to be done on a daily basis like training the core muscles of the body, the abdominal and back muscles," he said.

"This doesn't rule out the possibility of playing the top sport, but it does require very careful monitoring of the exercises and perhaps adjustments to the training," he added.

After rising to World No. 2 last year, Kontaveit has slipped to No. 61 in the rankings now.