Barbora Krejcikova is gearing up to make her comeback to the match court, but she will certainly not have it easy.
Krejcikova won the Wimbledon title last year, which was her second Grand Slam singles title after winning the French Open in 2021.
However, the Czech has faced many injury setbacks since then, including Krejcikova suffering from a back injury that kept her out of action for the first four months of the year.
After failing to defend her Wimbledon title, Krejcikova fell to her lowest ranking in five years, but that was not the end of her struggles for this year.
Barbora Krejcikova handed tough draw in first tournament in over two months
Krejcikova left Wimbledon in tears after failing to defend her title, as her physical struggles appeared to be continuing.
However, the former world number two was still able to achieve some impressive results, with Krejcikova reaching the US Open quarterfinals after a dramatic victory over Taylor Townsend.
Krejcikova looked to continue this form during the Asian swing, but this did not quite go to plan.
In her third round match against McCartney Kessler at the China Open, Krejcikova was forced to retire due to a knee injury which she later admitted was more serious than she originally thought.
Many had suspected that Krejcikova would then end her season and return in 2026, but instead she has opted to enter a lower-level WTA 125 event in Limoges, France.
Despite it being a tournament below the main WTA Tour, third seed Krejcikova has been handed a tricky first round draw.
Krejcikova will play former world number 11 Anastasija Sevastova in her first match in Limoges, with the Latvian also having wins over Jessica Pegula and Jelena Ostapenko this year.
While this is a difficult first round draw on paper, Krejcikova did beat Sevastova in their only previous meeting at Wimbledon in 2021.
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Former WTA 1000 finalist set to play first tournament in six months
Krejcikova is not the only player returning to action in Limoges, with a former WTA 1000 finalist also making her comeback.
Anhelina Kalinina has been ranked as high as world number 25, but she is now ranked outside the top 150 after struggling with an injury that has kept her out of action since June.
The Ukrainian’s last win came at the French Open, with clay courts where Kalinina has produced the best results of her career.
Kalinina’s best career result came at the Italian Open in 2023, where she beat Madison Keys and Sofia Kenin en route to reaching the final in Rome.
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The 28-year-old will play Kathinka Von Deichmann in her first match in over six months, as she looks to make her way back up the rankings.
This will be the final WTA 125 tournament of the season, with Cristina Bucsa, Elsa Jacquemot, Krejcikova and Sonay Kartal as the top four seeds.
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