The French Open is underway at Roland Garros, and while everyone is waiting to see who will emerge as champion, the real focus may be on the ankles of one of the game’s top players.
The ankle to watch is that of Simona Halep, the third seed in the tournament. Considering the #1 overall seed has already lost, and when you factor in Halep’s track record on clay courts, it’s no surprise that she is considered by many to be the favorite to win the tournament. That is, if her right ankle holds up.
Halep’s Ankle
Halep will need to conquer both her opponents and her body if she hopes to win the French Open title. And due to an ankle injury she suffered earlier this month, she may find that her toughest opponent is her body. You can take a look at the previous ankle injury she suffered below at the 2:10 mark of this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXO2TYAPU6w
As you can see, Halep’s ankle rolled outward as she slid to her right. She underwent an MRI scan after the match, which revealed that she tore one of the lateral ligaments in her right ankle. She spoke about the injury after winning her first round match at the French Open.
“It’s all good. I still feel a little pain, but it’s nothing dangerous, so I can play,” said Halep. “The last three, four days I practiced normally. I played also some points. After it’s a little bit difficult because when it’s cold it’s getting a little bit swollen. But it looks much better than one week ago. I did the ultrasound on Saturday. It’s still a little bit broken, but it’s like 80 per cent recovered, so it looks good and I have confidence that it’s going to be okay this tournament.”
Halep posted a picture of the ultrasound she received on her ankle prior to the start of the major tournament.
Halep reached the French Open finals in 2014, and she’s hoping to improve on that finish by claiming the crown in 2017.
Halep’s Injury Outlook
Halep suffered a classic inversion sprain when her ankle rolled outward as she moved across the court at the earlier tournament in Roma. The injury looked bad, and we’re not surprised that she tore one of her lateral ligaments. It’s also likely that she suffered microtears in the other ligaments on the outside of her ankle.
If she truly has experienced 80 percent recovery, she would be fine if she were you or me, but she’s competing with the world’s best and testing her ankles with each stride across the court. She’s certainly going to have to deal with pain and discomfort, but if she can avoid a subsequent injury, there’s a chance she’ll come out on top. However, when it comes to ankle ligament tears, they often lead to instability if not treated surgically. This will leave her susceptible to future ankle sprains and rolls.
It may not rear its head in this tournament, but there’s a decent chance that she’ll need to undergo ankle surgery to experience the fullest recovery possible. If she doesn’t, I suspect this won’t be the last time we hear about her ankles. Hopefully she can play through the pain, her ankle holds up, and she can keep advancing at Roland Garros.