Katie Swan has put injury woes behind her and is closing in on a return to the court, though this year’s Wimbledon Championships came too soon for the 25-year-old
For the first time in several years, Katie Swan’s name has not been in the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles draw, but the British talent is in fine spirits after four months on the sidelines and conversations about walking away from tennis altogether.
Swan, 25, got some wins under her belt at the start of 2024 after reaching the final at Surbiton the previous year, but hasn’t played since February after a tough time with injury forced her to think about her future. Now, though, she is targeting a July return after working on getting match-ready.
While she wasn’t on court this year, Swan was still at SW19 to cheer on boyfriend Alex Bolt. The Australian, who has overcome injuries himself, produced a stunning comeback to come through qualifying – having only made that draw as a late alternate – before forcing eighth seed Casper Ruud to work hard for a 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 win in the first round.
Mirror Sport caught up with Swan at ASICS’ House of Tennis, where she joined fellow British player Arthur Fery. Swan reflected on the mental side of the game in the light of new research, while shedding light on the tough conversations she has been forced to have after a difficult few months.
“I was really struggling earlier this year, just in pain, really, with my body, and I couldn’t really keep going so I had to take a step back and figure out basically where I was going to go with my life,” Swan admits. “At one point I wasn’t sure if I could keep going with tennis because i didn’t have a diagnosis for my injury, and i was just trying to keep going.
“Eventually we figured out the problem and did the medical interventions that I needed, and then it was just a different path for me coming back, having more hope than anything that I could be playing tennis pain free eventually. I’m there at that point now, I’m training 100 percent healthy, and I just need to build up the hours on court and then in a couple of weeks I’m planning to come back to competition fully.
“My parents were amazing – I had a really tough conversation with them when I was thinking about stopping, and they were going to be supportive of whatever I decided to do. They’ve been by my side through this whole rehab process, and also my boyfriend Alex, he’s had so many injuries in his career and to be able to talk to him about it as well. Also, it’s inspiring for me to see what he’s been able to achieve… after everything he’s been through, and to have someone like that by my side means a lot.”
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Earlier, Swan had joined a panel to discuss new research from ASICS which found those who pick up a tennis racquet can feel a tangible benefit in areas such as positivity and stress reduction. “I completely agree with [the] findings as well, because we all feel the benefit of the physical side of playing tennis,” she said.
“I’ve had many times where I’ve woken up and maybe it’s been a tough loss the day before and you don’t always feel like going out there and training again. But there’s not been one time where I’ve gone out on the court after that and trained and not felt better.
“That’s why I always remind myself to go and do it, because I always feel better after playing and trying to improve on something, and obviously we take it seriously for our jobs but I think it can be a lot of fun as well – even taking it seriously.”
While the last few months have included some down days, Swan has been working hard to ensure she’s ready to return to her top level as quickly as possible Part of that can only happen with minutes on the court, of course, but she’s recognised the value of the mental game, while also understanding how important nutrition is on a day to day basis.
“One of the things I’ve probably struggled with a bit over the years is getting enough into my body,” Swan admits. “We burn so much by the training that we do, a full training day is crazy the amount of calories we burn, so just getting enough in.
“To be honest, the nutritionist i work with at the LTA [reminds me] whatever it is, you need to be refuelling and seeing food as fuel, and I think I’ve got a lot stronger in this time out. I feel in a really good spot physically and that’s also down to the consistent effort i’ve been making with food.
“That also comes with some treats as well – i have a big sweet tooth so i’m also quite lenient on myself to enjoy that stuff too. I think even from having really tough training days but waking up the next day and feeling like i’ve recovered well, that’s a lot down to the nutritional side of it, and if i don’t eat enough at the end of the day then I don’t think i’d see those benefits.”
A number of Brits have impressed at SW19 this year, despite the absence of Andy Murray from the main draw. Emma Raducanu cruised into round three with victory over Elise Mertens on Wednesday, with qualifier Sonay Kartal also progressing, while one of Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart will join them there after meeting in the second round on Thursday.
In the men’s draw, there’s another all-British affair on the cards on Thursday with Jack Draper taking on Cameron Norrie, while wild card Jacob Fearnley is due to face Novak Djokovic on Centre Court. Even before then, though, Swan got a taste of Wimbledon fever while taking in a week of qualifying which meant so much for those who booked their place in round one.
“I’ve been lucky enough to get wild cards over the years straight into the main draw, and when I qualified in 2021 I think it was still my favourite feeling I’ve felt on the tennis court, just feling like I earned my spot there,” says Swan, who has lost in qualifiers for Roland Garros and the US Open. “It’s hard to explain to the general tennis public how difficult it is to qualify for a grand slam, because people just see the guys that are already in the main draw, but getting through qualies is such a huge achievement.”
Next year, with a bit of luck, there will be another Brit in the main draw as Swan builds up to a comeback. “I’m pretty sad to be missing it this year, but also I’m just trying to put all my energy into doing what I can so that when I come back I’m completely ready to go,” she says. “And I really hope the next grass season I’ll be here for it all.”
