FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 6, 2023 Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova walks off the court after losing her first round match against Germany's Jule Niemeier REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
(Reuters) - Last year's French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova will return to action after 10 months out with a right wrist injury at next week's Eastbourne International, the 27-year-old said as she builds match fitness for Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.
The Czech world number 34 enjoyed one of her best seasons in 2023, finishing runner-up to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros before making the U.S. Open semi-finals in September, where she picked up the injury.
Muchova then pulled out of the season-ending WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico after qualifying for the first time and withdrew from the Australian Open before having surgery in February.
"At the end of this week, I'll fly to Eastbourne with the team where we'll finally try to play some matches in preparation ahead of Wimbledon," Muchova, 27, told CANAL+ Sport CZ.
"After Wimbledon I'll return back to the clay, maybe play a tournament, or straight to the Olympics."
Wimbledon runs from July 1-14 while the Paris Olympics take place from July 26-Aug. 11 with the tennis tournament set to be held on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
Muchova will make her Olympic debut for the Czech Republic in singles and doubles alongside Marketa Vondrousova who won the Wimbledon title last year.
"I'm really excited for the Olympics," Muchova said. "I've never been to one, and it's around the corner in Paris, so I can't be more excited."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
