Caty McNally reveals she felt at her lowest during 2023 Wimbledon because playing under pain made it a very unpleasant experience, and also admits that it was extremely difficult to deal with constant injury issues and ultimately be told that she needed surgery.
In May 2023, McNally reached the final of the WTA 125 (Challenger) tournament in Paris before being forced to retire due to elbow and hamstring issues. That same month, the American reached a career-high ranking of No. 54 in the world.
From that moment on, everything turned agony for McNally. Firstly, the American was ousted 1-6 3-6 by Jodie Burrage in the Wimbledon first round. Then, the 24-year-old learned that ulnar collateral ligament in her elbow was damaged - she opted not to have surgery, but received PRP injections instead and didn't play for the rest of 2023.
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"Wimbledon 2023 was definitely the lowest point of my career. I just remember playing there, at such an amazing place, and there was no joy. I played the grass season in a lot of pain, I was very unhappy and I was just so consumed by having tape all over my body," McNally told the WTA website.
McNally: I was told there would be no need for surgery... Then I was told to look for a surgeon
After missing six months, McNally returned to action at the start of 2024, but played only three tournaments before finding herself sidelined due to the same elbow injury once again. That's when she was told that the issue needed to be surgically repaired.
"I was told I was never going to need surgery. And then the doctor was like, 'You should start looking at surgeons.' Mentally, that was really difficult because I felt like I wasted eight months of my career when I was at such a good point. I didn't want to jump into surgery or anything right off the bat. You never want to. You want to try to take the conservative route," the 24-year-old said.
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After undergoing surgery, McNally was out for nine months and returned to action in November 2024. Since then, McNally has won three ITF titles - stayed healthy - and returned to the top-100 as she is now sits at No. 85 in the world.
