Hailey Baptiste’s French Open journey came to a sudden end in the second round.
The American was forced to retire from her match against Wang Xiyu after suffering a painful injury during the second set.
She later revealed she had injured her ACL and meniscus in her left knee, cutting short what had been a promising run of form leading up to the tournament.
Baptiste was also set to partner with Venus Williams in doubles before the injury forced her out of both draws. The two Americans had never played together before but were looking forward to their debut as partners.
Coco Gauff reached out after hearing the news, offering some words of encouragement on social media. She posted: “I know you will come back stronger Hailey! Sending love”.
Coco Gauff says she felt emotional watching Hailey Baptiste’s injury at Roland Garros
Gauff, speaking after her own third-round win at Roland Garros, said of Baptiste’s setback: “It was really sad to see. I got a little bit emotional just seeing her dad run on the court and stuff. It just reminded me of my dynamic with my dad. I know he would do the same.“
“Hailey’s someone who’s always been really nice on and off the court, regardless of where she’s been in the rankings or regardless of where I’ve been in the rankings.“
“I think that’s something I really respect about her and the work that she’s put in. She’s kind of been the underdog throughout her whole life, honestly.”
“And she’s proved everyone wrong and passed all expectations. It was tough to see. I did reach out immediately after I saw it. Just wishing her the best.”
“I don’t know the severity of it yet, but I know Hailey, and I know she’s resilient and she’s going to come back so strong. It’s just unfortunate. You don’t want to see that with anyone. I wish her all the best.”
She reached the quarter-finals in Miami before putting together a remarkable run at the Madrid Open. Baptiste continued by defeating Jasmine Paolini and Belinda Bencic on her way to another quarter-final appearance, this time facing world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
The American managed a surprising victory over Sabalenka, becoming only the second player to defeat her that year, alongside Elena Rybakina.
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