On Friday, Hailey Baptiste confirmed that her season is over. The announcement came just two days after she suffered a serious leg injury during the second round of the French Open 2026.

The emotional toll was clear in Baptiste's Instagram post. Sharing a black-and-white image from the court, she wrote, “Still waiting to wake up from this nightmare. In my head, all I can think is why, why, and why. Why me? Why now? And why like this?”

The injury happened during Baptiste's second-round match against Wang Xiyu. At the time, Wang was leading 5-4 in the opening set and serving.

While chasing a shot, Baptiste landed awkwardly on her left leg after hitting a forehand. She immediately grabbed her left knee and fell to the court in pain.

The scene quickly turned emotional. Baptiste's father, Qasim, ran onto Court 6 to comfort her. However, the 24-year-old repeatedly told him to "stop" when he tried to touch her. As chair umpire Marija Cicak and medical staff approached, Baptiste could be heard shouting, "Why?"

Eventually, she had to be taken off in a wheelchair.

The next day, TNT Sports analyst Jim Courier revealed that Baptiste's agent, Jill Smoller, had confirmed the extent of the injury. According to the update, Baptiste suffered ACL and meniscus injuries and will need surgery.

Despite the devastating setback, Baptiste remained determined.

“This new, but somewhat familiar, challenge faces me with what will probably be one of the hardest chapters of my life, and I’m beyond ready to show how strong I really am,” she wrote.

The injury ended what had been a promising season. Baptiste finishes 2026 with an 18-13 record. Just last month, she earned the biggest win of her career by upsetting world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to reach the Madrid Open semifinals before losing to Mirra Andreeva.

Adding to the disappointment, Baptiste was also set to play doubles with Venus Williams at Roland Garros. However, the pair withdrew one day after the injury.

Regardless, following her injury update, several players from across the tennis world sent messages of support and encouragement.

Messages Pour In for Hailey Baptiste After Devastating Injury

"Hailey 😭 we all love you 🫶🏼 you will be back stronger than ever!!!!! ❤️‍🩹," Amanda Anisimova commented on Baptiste's Instagram post.

Caty McNally also shared a message of support. "Love you Hailey,” she wrote.

Coco Gauff echoed those feelings after her second-round victory. "It was really sad to see," she told reporters. "I got a little emotional seeing her dad run on the court, and [it] just reminded me of my dynamic with my dad. I know he would do the same."

Former US Open champion and French Open finalist Sloane Stephens was equally affected by the incident.

“That is absolutely devastating and heartbreaking,” Stephens told TNT Sports US. “I took my earpiece out because I don’t want to hear [it], it’s so painful."

For now, Baptiste's season is over. Meanwhile, Wang Xiyu will continue her run at Roland Garros and next face Sorana Cîrstea in the fourth round after defeating Yuliia Starodubtseva in the third round.

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Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Koushik Biswas