(Reuters) – Former Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki of Germany faces another lengthy wait outside the courts after undergoing surgery for a knee injury she suffered at the start of the week in a WTA event in Austria.
Lisicki, who lost to Marion Bartoli in the 2013 Wimbledon final, returned to the circuit in August after spending a year on the sidelines to recover from glandular fever.
The former world number 12 has also struggled with shoulder and ankle problems in recent years which has seen her slide down the rankings to 690 currently.
In her latest setback, the 31-year-old tore an anterior cruciate ligament on her left knee on Monday during a doubles match in Linz and retired while leading 6-5 in the opening set.
“I already had surgery and got all fixed up by the best doctors,” she said in a social media post on Wednesday, accompanied by a picture which showed her on crutches and a heavily strapped left knee.
“It’s going to be a very tough and long road back but I’m luckily surrounded by the best medical team!”
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by Sam Holmes)
