"It was scary but I did it" - Hailey Baptiste has successful surgery as recovery process commences

Hailey Baptiste was enjoying a brilliant 2026 tennis campaign before disaster struck at Roland Garros. The American saw the rest of her season go up on smoke after suffering from an ACL and meniscus injury in her left knee injury at the second Grand Slam tournament but has since unveiled some positive news with the surgery going successfully.

Baptiste was cruelly prevented of continuing her rise up the tennis order and making more of an impression at the French Open. She came into the event in fine form, first reaching the quarter-final of the Miami Open where world number one Aryna Sabalenka took her down.

Those fortunes were reversed in a topsy turvey matchup in Madrid. Baptiste came out on top in a three-set thriller against the Belarusian to break more ground at WTA 1000 level, reaching a first ever semi-final.

Baptiste reached the fourth round of Roland Garros last year, and was touted by many to go further into the tournament. After surviving two match points against former champion Barbora Krejcikova, she was drafted against Wang Xiyu. With her opponent on set point, Baptiste suffered a truly tragic and abhorrent injury. She chased down a ball before collapsing to the ground in a heap of pain.

She was taken off court aided by the medical team and saw her hopes and dreams of a fruitful 2026 vanish. As expected, she was devastated and posted her raw emotions to the events on her Instagram. "The most heartbreaking end to the best season of my life," part of the statement read. "Still waiting to wake up from this nightmare. In my head, all I can think is why, why, and why. Why me? Why now? And why like this? It’s hard to see any purpose in something like this right now, but in my heart, I truly believe everything happens for a reason."

Baptiste was forced to have surgery ahead of a long and arduous recovery period which could last at least six months or even longer before she is fully fit and able to make a comeback. In a period in which good news is not common, the 24-year-old did find the positives in a successful surgery procedure.

"It was scary but I did it," she wrote. "Surgery was successful and recovery has started. Thank you to everyone at @hspecialsurgery for making this such a smooth and comfortable process. Special thanks to @rileywilliamsmd for cleaning up the mess I made of my knee."

A lot of comments came pouring in supporting Baptiste. Fellow American tennis player Shelby Rogers wrote: "Best in the biz, you’re in great hands! One day at a time." Good friend Frances Tiafoe kept it short and sweet. "The journey back begins champ."

Baptiste will target the 2027 season fresh and replenished while being more motivated than ever to get some more big results on the WTA Tour. She will learn a lot from this time away from the court to build off the experience and positives on a largely successful 2026 campaign cut short in a frustrating manner.