Hubert Hurkacz’s ‘Iron Man’ attempt to return from meniscus surgery in three weeks | ATP Tour

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Hurkacz’s ‘Iron Man’ attempt to return from meniscus surgery in three weeks

The Polish star and his coach, Craig Boynton, offer exclusive insight

August 06, 2024

One of the most difficult moments to watch at Wimbledon was the end of Hubert Hurkacz’s second round match against Arthur Fils. People say a picture is worth a thousand words and that was the case when they saw the pain on the Polish star’s face.

The 27-year-old fights for the ball, giving his best effort as he always does. When Hurkacz tried to get up from the awkward position he was in, he tore the meniscus in his right knee and retired late in the fourth set.

A video posted by Hurkacz later showed the eight-time ATP Tour champion sitting on a bench next to the soccer players shortly afterward looking worried, with a hand on his knee.

“Just after I knew something had happened because it was painful and we had to find out how bad it was and get more information. [as we could],” Hurkacz told ATPtour.com. “It was difficult because after the test I don’t know when I will come back, if I will play this year or if I will reach my normal level. So it was a really challenging time.”

Hurkacz has spoken to several doctors, almost all of whom say he will be out of competition until next year. However, after surgery and working through an intensive rehabilitation process with physio Kuba and fitness coach Przemek, Hurkacz is ready to compete this week at the Omnium Banque National presented by Rogers in Montreal.

When Hurkacz injured himself, coach Craig Boynton wasn’t entirely sure of the extent of the injury.

“At first, when it happened, I thought he was pinching me. He was speaking in Polish to the physio, and the physio said to me, ‘He needs to stop’. I didn’t know what was going on,” Boynton said of Montreal’s fourth seed. “As things turned out, he got an MRI, he found out it was a meniscus, and he went ahead, what’s the best course of action?

“He did all that in Poland with half of the team there, a physical team. He had surgery, and to say the boys worked hard would be a challenge, to get to where he is now. He worked hard, Iron Man worked hard. It was crazy how much he’s done to get back here in three to four weeks, to get to where we’re really competing.”

Hurkacz underwent surgery on July 15. The next day he started rehab and within a week he was back on the court doing movement work. On Monday, three weeks later, he was walking around Parc Jarry in Montreal with his trademark smile.

“It really makes you appreciate what you’re doing, not having the chance or opportunity to do it for a while,” said Hurkacz. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to move on the field, so the Olympics were out the window. I dreamed of playing there all year, but I immediately knew that it was not going to happen. The wounds had not yet healed. I couldn’t go there. It was a big risk and I couldn’t go to court, so it wasn’t going to work.”

Before the surgery and throughout his rehabilitation, Hurkacz has been in contact with medical professionals and other athletes from inside and outside of tennis. One of them was Novak Djokovic, who tore his meniscus at Roland Garros, then reached the Wimbledon final and won the Olympic gold medal in Paris.

“It’s definitely really encouraging what he did, especially winning the gold medal,” Hurkacz said. “I sent a message to Novak again. He was really supportive and helpful and it was a different situation, it was a difficult situation trying to make a decision. I finally realized that I had to have surgery.”

The challenge for Hurkacz beyond the rehab itself was not knowing when he would be ready to compete. Now that he is ready for the games, his coach, Boynton, explained that it is a dynamic system that we have to deal with.

“You see what he can do, you see what’s maybe too limited and you just move weapons and equipment in a different sense compared to when everything is 100 percent,” Boynton said. “That’s where the habit comes in. That’s when it’s talked about when he feels he can improve and when he thinks he wants to distance himself from him, and that’s just management.”

Boynton added: “I’m happy for him that he can do the things he likes, and we’re here.” Now we have to be smart about how we move forward and just see. The games will tell what needs to be worked on in every way.”

Hurkacz is known for his smile, and that has been more so than ever since he arrived in Montreal. He appreciated every moment on the site, from seeing the fans to training.

“It felt really long. “It seems like a lot of things have happened since I was in court,” said Hurkacz. “There are many things we have gone through as a group and many difficult decisions. It makes you really appreciate what you’re doing every day and sometimes you can get lost because you’re always chasing getting better, winning matches, trying to win tournaments and win Grand Slams. You don’t really appreciate the moment and now I have time to stop and reflect.”