The former Grand Slam finalist, sidelined more than two years by injury, won three matches in her return, proving her climb back up the rankings is already underway.
Jennifer Brady’s tennis career has been defined as much by resilience as results. The former UCLA standout and 2014 NCAA champion broke through at the 2017 Australian Open, becoming the first American female qualifier in the Open Era to reach the Round of 16 in Melbourne. Her power game soon translated to the sport’s biggest stages: she reached the 2020 US Open semifinals and the 2021 Australian Open final, both times falling to Naomi Osaka, claimed her first WTA title in Lexington, and earned marquee wins over top players including then-World No. 1 Ash Barty. In February 2021, she climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 13.
Injuries, however, have repeatedly stalled her momentum. After battling a right foot injury and returning in 2023, Brady underwent knee surgery in January 2024 and spent more than two years off tour. Now ranked No. 805, she launched her latest comeback with a semifinal run at the San Diego Open, winning three matches before falling in three sets to eventual champion Elvina Kalieva. During her rehabilitation, Brady also stayed connected to the game by co-hosting The Player’s Box podcast alongside Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula and Desirae Krawczyk, proof that even off the court, she’s remained deeply engaged in the sport as she works her way back.
At Her Sports San Diego, we had a chance to sit down with Brady during the San Diego Open in February 2026, her first tournament back after knee surgery. Hear what she had to say, and what advice she offers to athletes rehabbing from injury.
Can you share how you’re feeling about your play so far in the tournament?
Obviously not playing for over two years, it's been challenging to work myself into a match, just kind of finding confidence again in my game and playing my game style. I played a good match yesterday and today I played a little bit up and down, but I think I played the big points well, and it helps me in the end.
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How you are feeling physically and mentally, since this is your first tournament back after knee surgery in January 2024?
I'm actually feeling a little bit better than I was expecting. Physically, I feel good. Mentally, I feel good. There were a couple of moments where I was getting a little bit down on myself. But, you know, I think that's pretty normal. I have high expectations of how I want to perform out there. But coming into the tournament, my expectations were pretty low considering I haven't played in over two years. So, pretty pleased with how I've been playing so far.
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There are a lot of different ways to measure success and to mark it beyond wins and losses. What does success mean for you for this week, this tournament?
Just taking it one match at a time, Happy to be into the semi-finals. That's a pretty big win for me. And I'll just keep going day by day. And hopefully, I’ll see where we end up.
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Rehabbing took a long time, and it has to be a real grind. I'm curious how you managed the day to day.
Yeah, it was pretty challenging. It was about a little bit over two years, so it was a pretty long process. There were some ups and downs, some days where things were looking bright, and then some days where they weren't looking so bright. I think over the last four months, things were finally starting to come together. Things were just a lot better. I was finally back on the court, training, practicing, working my way back up. And, yeah, it was definitely a really tough time mentally, just to stay motivated. At times it was like, ‘Oh, do I really want to do this? Is this something I really want to do?’ But, yes. I definitely want to give myself at least a chance to compete again.
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You've already achieved so much in your career as an Australian Open finalist and semifinalist in the US Open. What sustains you and motivates you to keep playing?
I've played tennis my whole life. It's a part of who I am. I love the sport, I love the game, I love competing. I love the grind. You know, when things aren’t easy, I really enjoy that. I love the tour. I pretty much just love everything about it. I love the sport. So, you have to be a little bit crazy to want to do this. And, I have a little bit of that in me.
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Do you have some advice that you'd give to, let's say, high school athletes who have an injury that they're trying to come back from?
Yeah, surround yourself with people who support you, and (try) not to rush. Take your time, but also … find other things outside of tennis that you know you can occupy your time, hang out with friends, school, whatever, something different. …Keep your brain busy during the whole process.
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Rehabbing is not fun, but were there any positives that you took from being away from competition and tournament life for a while?
Yes, I think, knowing that this is really what I love doing, just having a different perspective. I think sometimes we're like in this little bubble for so long that we don't really get to see things outside of (the tour). And we kind of lose sight of how lucky we are to be doing what we're doing, traveling the world, experiencing different cultures, and just being able to do things that not many people will ever get the chance to. So I think just kind of taking a step back and looking from an outside perspective. It helps a lot.
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What do you think of the tournament in (San Diego and the) atmosphere so far?
I love it. There was actually a really good crowd today in my quarterfinal match on center court, which was awesome. It's always fun to play in front of a crowd. And I actually played here like 15 years ago for the Junior USTA tournament. Yeah, you know, back in the day, it was never really my my tournament. I never really played well, so this was the best result I've gotten here so far. So I'm pretty happy with that.
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What influenced you to come to San Diego to play? How were you able to choose this tournament to come back?
I saw it on the calendar, and I wanted to go to Australia for qualifying, but, you know, I just wasn't ready. And I thought it was a great opportunity for me to start with an ITF local tournament .. so I knew they were going to be good players here. But also, you know, coming to San Diego, my best friend lives here, I'm staying at her place. And how could I not come here? You know, it's a beautiful, beautiful place here at Barnes tennis center. You know, I couldn't have asked for for a better setup to start my first tournament back. |
